The Mistletoe Misappropriation
by notjaneausten
Summary: Amy's buzzing with excitement as it is nearly Christmas and she has a fantastic gift for Sheldon this year. She comes crashing down to earth with a bump when Sheldon makes his feelings about Christmas perfectly clear and Amy decides that it's time for a little Relationship reset. Disclaimer: all characters belong to Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady
1. Chapter 1

"Hey pretty lady…wanna jingle my bells?" Sheldon clicked his tongue against his teeth as he attempted to brush past Barry Kripke who was attempting to lure a young graduate under the sprig of mistletoe he was waving above his head. "Watch it, Cooper." Barry muttered as Sheldon inadvertently knocked the mistletoe sprig out of Kripke's hand as he scanned the crowded cafeteria trying to spot Amy, Leonard and Raj. He finally spotted them huddled around a table on the far side of the room talking animatedly amongst themselves as they listened to the quietly muted strains of Christmas music drifting out of the speakers dotted around the room.

"Good Lord, must we sit through this dreadful racket every day? Can't we go out for lunch instead?" Sheldon groaned as he sat down at the empty seat and set his tray down on the table.

"And go where Sheldon? Face it, wherever you go from now until January 1st you're gonna have to listen to Christmas music."

"Yeah four whole weeks of 'Silver Bells' and 'White Christmas'." Raj murmured, closing his eyes as he swayed gently in his seat.

"Let's not forget 'Little Saint Nick' or 'Run, Run Rudolph'." Chimed in Leonard and Amy wrinkled her nose up at his suggestion, shaking her head in disapproval. Sheldon started to grin, thinking that his sensible girlfriend was about to take his viewpoint on the whole Christmas malarkey – but it seemed he was doomed for more disappointment.

"Little Dummer Boy/Peace On Earth – a perfect blend of the musical genius that was Bing Crosby, with a dash of David Bowie; followed by anything from the Frank Sinatra or Neil Diamond Christmas album."

"Amy! Don't tell me that you also subscribe to the Christmas madness that takes over the whole month of December? I thought you were far too sensible a person to fall for this ritualistic event of Saturnalia."

"Come again?" Amy set her fork down on the side of her plate and wiped her mouth with her napkin.

"Uh oh, here we go again." Leonard murmured to Raj as they sat back in their seats to listen to an occasion as it seemed to be Sheldon's version of a beloved Christmas tale.

"Saturnalia - in the pre-Christian era, as the winter solstice approached and the plants died, pagans brought evergreen boughs into their homes as an act of sympathetic magic, intended to guard the life essences of the plants until spring. This custom was later appropriated by Northern Europeans and eventually it becomes the so-called Christmas tree." Sheldon explained, he hated everything about Christmas; the mess, the fuss and most of all the emptiness surrounding the whole day; ever since his PopPop had passed away when he was a small boy; it all seemed shallow and meaningless – for Sheldon, Christmas had lost the magic the year that he's lost his PopPop.

"I happen to love the whole holiday season, Sheldon, and nothing you can do or say will ever persuade me otherwise." Amy replied, placing her napkin over her plate as she pushed her tray away from her.

"But what about the sleepless nights spent trying to figure out whether you've spent the same amount of money on a gift as the one that you've just received? I've spent many a night trying to perfect a formula but have yet not been able to come up with anything reliable." Sheldon was confused, Amy had never brought up her love of Christmas in the years that they had spent together. He thought that she felt exactly the same way that he did; they hadn't exchanged so much as a Christmas card since they had become an official couple. "You don't exactly go hog wild on the festivities in your apartment." He said slowly as he tried to puzzle out her sudden change of heart.

"I have a small tree in my bedroom and string up lights around my window. I even have an evergreen wreath on my front door, which I take down on the nights that I know that I will be seeing you on."

"Why just in your bedroom?"

"Because I knew that you don't like celebrating Christmas, so I've never made a big deal out of it. I decorate my bedroom as I know that it's the one room that you never go in to."

"You've never mentioned anything…you must think I'm a terrible boyfriend; I've never even bought you an appropriate gift."

"Sheldon, I think you're missing the true meaning of Christmas. You don't give a gift in the expectation of receiving anything back in return…"

"Amy, Amy…that's a very noble sentiment but complete hogwash." Sheldon reached out to pat her hand in a consoling manner, his tone ripe with condescension. "That's what they tell you in all those sappy Christmas movies all the time; but it has always been my experience that if you receive a large box at Christmas then you can be sure that the giver expects an even bigger gift in return."

"Sheldon, if that's what you've experienced in the past, then I truly feel sorry for you. Christmas isn't about trying to one up the other person, it's not even about the presents it's a time for joy, laughter and celebrating the birth of the son of God…I may not be overly religious like your Mother, Sheldon but even I can share her thoughts at this special time of year." Amy glanced at her watch and realised that her lunch hour was rapidly coming to an end. She rose up from the table and with tray in hand, turned back to leave Sheldon with a final thought. "When I give someone a gift at Christmas it's because I want to share that joy with them – it's not because I expect anything in return." Sheldon waited until she was out of earshot before he turned to speak to Leonard and Raj.

"Yeah, that's what she says now – I bet come Christmas morning, it's a whole other ballgame."

"I don't know, Sheldon. I think Amy enjoys the whole Christmas experience; you weren't around when we decorated the apartment because you were back in Texas while Missy was giving birth. Amy loves every single thing about the whole season, she starts her preparations as soon as Thanksgiving is over." Leonard leant forward on his elbows, but Sheldon was only half paying attention as he watched Amy trying to dodge out of the way of Kripke's attempt at luring her under the mistletoe.

"Oh man, those gingerbread cookies that she made were to die for!" Raj exclaimed as he rubbed his stomach in remembrance. "Then we all helped her make the dough for that cute little house and decorated the hell out of it."

"Oh yeah, that was kind of fun wasn't it?" Leonard chuckled and Sheldon smirked a little as Amy successfully distracted Kripke long enough to slip past him. Sheldon turned back to Leonard with an accusing look.

"No one said anything to me about decorating any gingerbread houses…I love gingerbread."

"We made hot apple cider, Amy did those little cranberry pies as well; remember those Leonard?" Raj sighed and Leonard beamed happily back at him.

"I wonder if she'll make more this year. Do you still have that scarf she knitted you?"

"Of course." Raj dived into his bag and pulled out a soft black, woollen scarf with a complicated pattern woven into the piece. "I started wearing it as soon as the weather turned a little chilly. Cool isn't it, Sheldon? Look, she put my favourite constellations on it."

"That's Andromeda and Cassiopeia isn't it?" Sheldon ran a finger over the delicate fabric as he picked out what he had originally thought were just random speckles of silvery thread.

"She made me and Penny a set of matching quilted pillowcases – they've got our photo's stitched in and everything." Leonard boasted and Sheldon frowned a little.

"I don't recall seeing them anywhere in your room."

"Penny keeps them over at her place, we didn't want to ruin them so we decided to keep them for special occasions. Penny's got a little trunk full of things that she's been saving up for after the wedding."

"I see." Sheldon said softly, he didn't understand why Amy felt the need to keep her obvious love of Christmas a secret from him; he may not be a fan of the whole season but he would have made more of a concerted effort had he known it meant that much to her.

"Sheldon…" Leonard saw how quiet Sheldon had become and tried to cheer him up. "I thought that you would have been happy that Amy didn't make a fuss over you; I saw how pleased you were when you realised that we had thrown a Christmas party when you were away – you even said that you were grateful that we waited until you had gone!"

"I know I did…but I never realised how much she really loved it; and now I don't know why I'm feeling sad."

"It's probably because Amy spent a lot of time and love in giving us the perfect gift last year and you got zip." Raj remarked bluntly and Leonard shot him a look that clearly told him to drop the subject. Raj decided to ignore Leonard completely and carried on. "Howard and Bernadette got a wall hanging that Amy made out of one of their wedding photos and she even made Stuart a gift basket of food. It wasn't about the money; it was about the love, Sheldon."

"Excuse me please, I need to get back to my work now." Sheldon rose abruptly from the table and stalked out of the cafeteria.


	2. Chapter 2

"Nice going, Raj." Leonard stated as he picked up Sheldon's abandoned tray along with his own and deposited the leftovers in the trash. "You managed to make Sheldon feel even worse."

"How did I do that?"

"By telling him about all the great stuff that Amy made for us last year…she didn't make anything for Sheldon."

"Yes, she did. She just didn't give it to him." Raj said quietly as he walked with Leonard back to the lab. "I've seen her trunk and I'm guessing that she hasn't told you about everything that Amy has stored in there. She's made something for Sheldon for every Christmas and Birthday since they met…she just hasn't given them to him because she knew that he wouldn't appreciate them or would try to give her something meaningless in return."

"Like what?"

"Oh, he'll probably try to buy her affections with more jewellery or even some of those completely impersonal gift baskets like the ones he bought for Penny." Raj waved a hand in the air, as if anything Sheldon purchased were of little importance. The two men reached the split in the hallway, Raj's office door was ajar and he went to go inside, thinking that Leonard would continue down the hallway to his own laboratory.

"No, Raj. I meant what kind of things has she made for Sheldon?" Leonard asked as he leant against the doorframe.

"Oh…I don't know whether I should be telling you all of this, it's kind of personal." Raj suddenly felt like he was invading Amy's privacy by revealing what she had shown him one day when she was feeling particularly low regarding the lack of progress in her relationship with Sheldon.

"Come on, you can't leave me hanging like that!" Leonard pressed for more details and Raj sighed as he motioned for Leonard to come inside, and to close the door part way behind him.

"Okay, but you must promise not to tell Sheldon any of what I am about to reveal."

"Agreed." Leonard nodded as he took the visitors chair tucked in the corner, and pulled it out to set it down in front of Raj's desk.

"For their first Christmas after they were 'official' she had Stuart order her in a special lot of t-shirts; somehow she managed to track down all of Sheldon's old favourites and she pieced them all in a quilt for him. It's really something to see, Leonard and I don't know how long it must have taken her to put together…she even managed to track down shirts that I didn't even know existed anymore…I might have a picture somewhere on my phone." Raj scrolled through his photos searching for the snap shot that he'd taken quickly when Amy was out of the room getting them a drink. "Yes, here it is." He showed the picture to Leonard who let out a whistle between his teeth.

"That is one gorgeous piece of work."

"I know I am, but there's no need to spread it about." Howard's cheeky remark from the doorway as he overheard Leonard's comment had him entering the room and looking over Leonard's shoulder and peeking at the phone. "Oh My God! I need that quilt! Look, there's Darth Vader and the original blue background of the Skywalker Shirts…I don't care how much it is, Raj….Bernie needs to get me that for Hanukah." Howard was nearly drooling with envy when he saw the quilt depicting all of his favourite characters side by side, each character piece was framed in a dark blue material with tiny little silvery stars embroidered in the background.

"Sorry, Howard but there's only one of those quilts in existence."

"No…It can't be true!"

"I'm sorry but it is."

"What else?" Leonard asked, Raj had said that there were items from every year that the pair had been dating, and so he figured that there were at least three more items.

"Well…" Raj took the phone back and scrolled through a few more shots. "There was this one…I think that was Christmas, two years ago." He flashed a picture of a framed wall hanging; this one was a selection of Superhero's; each individual character was edged by a stark frame of matt black fabric so that it made a kind of comic-book effect when laid flat.

"I changed my mind…that's the one I want." Howard stated as he grabbed the phone and started looking closer at the images. Raj had snapped a few close ups of the wall hanging and Howard could see that there was a mix of both DC and Marvel characters in the wall hanging; Superman, Spiderman, The Hulk, Ironman and Batman to name but a few.

"Again, that would be a 'no', Howard." Raj took the phone back from Howard and scrolled through to the final picture. "This is from this year, and my personal favourite."

"Wow…" Leonard received the phone and cradled it almost reverently. "They're all there…Kirk, Scotty, McCoy, Picard, Troi, Riker…oh, and even Data. I agree, Raj; that one is definitely the best by far."

"Raj, man; you gotta tell me where you got these from. I'll trade you my first edition Batman number 54 for the Superhero wall hanging alone." Howard was almost begging Raj by that stage and Raj simply smiled as he took the phone back and placed it on his desk, still displaying the Star Trek quilt.

"Sorry Howard, but I don't own those items and I never said that I did. I do know the person that made them though…"

"What? They're handmade…you're kidding me right? No one could have done all that unless they were a professional…I mean, my Ma's a pretty skilled seamstress but that is some seriously skilled craftsmanship."

"Thank you, Howard." The low feminine voice coming from the doorway had all three men whirling around. "But as Raj promised me that he would never reveal their existence, I am a little disappointed in him for not keeping his word."

"Amy, I…I…" Raj stuttered as Amy reached over to pick up the phone and will a few swift strokes across the screen, deleted all of the evidence.

"You made all of those? I don't mean to sound rude…but why would you go to all of that trouble? You don't even like Star Wars!"

"That is correct; but as I didn't make them for myself, it really didn't matter whether I liked the franchises or not." Amy handed Raj back his phone and turned slightly to rest her back against the doorframe as she waited for Howard to think about her statement.

"Sheldon…you made all of those for Sheldon…but you never gave them to him, again why?"

"Because I knew Sheldon wouldn't appreciate them for what they are; a gift of love."

"That's so beautiful." Raj started to cry and Amy pulled a tissue out of her purse and handed it over.

"Hush up, Raj. I called in to see if anyone was up for some cookie making this evening. It's not date night and I'm in the mood for a little Christmas cheer. My place, say around seven?"

"Sounds good…I'll let Bernie know. We'll pick up pizza along the way."

"Dude, what about Halo?" Raj asked Howard and he just shrugged in response.

"I'd rather go over to Amy's, listen to a few carols and eat my way into a sugar coma."

"Well, since you put it like that…let me just let Penny know and we'll be there, too." Leonard pulled out his phone and fired off a quick text to Penny, within moments he received a reply. "Oh, she and Bernie are going to be working late tonight. Bernie's boss is taking them out to dinner as a thank you for pushing sales of their new flu medicine. Penny said that Bernie will call you later, Howard."

"More cookies for me. Raj, are you in?" Howard looked over at Raj who was tapping his finger against his chin.

"As much as I would love to join you all in a delectable evening of making merry…what about Sheldon?"

"What about him?" Howard asked as he slipped off the edge of Raj's desk and crossed over to the door. "There's no written rule that we have to go over to play Halo with Sheldon every week."

"Yeah, but there is kind of Sheldon's rules; they may be unwritten but they are still there." Leonard said as he started fiddling with the zipper on his jacket, sliding it up and down in agitation. "I don't want to tip him over the edge again, it's bad enough that I caved over the whole Penny situation. I mean, here I am an engaged man and yet I still sleep three nights a week over at my old apartment."

"Look, I don't want to cause any aggravation…we'll do the cookie thing another time, maybe Saturday during the day when Sheldon isn't expecting you over." Amy tried to make things easier, but Howard could see that she was only trying to make things easier for Sheldon again, completely ignoring her own wants as a result.

"No, Amy. Leonard and Raj can go over and play Halo with Sheldon if they want. I want to come over and make cookies with you. I'll pick up a nice pizza on the way over and we can rock out to Neil Diamond. See you at seven." Howard pecked her on the cheek as he went to leave Raj's office. "Oh, and by the way, if you decide that you need to clear some space out of that trunk…dibs on the wall hanging."

"Noted." Amy agreed with a tiny smile and Howard left them with a jaunty wave. Amy turned to leave herself and reminded Leonard and Raj that if they changed their mind, they were free to join her that evening if they so wished.


	3. Chapter 3

Later that evening, Sheldon was being his usual obnoxious self as he picked holes in every move that Raj made during the Halo game.

"Come now, Raj…you must have realised that my tank would have overpowered your silly little armoured car? No, Leonard! My left flank, not my right!" Leonard finally had enough and threw down his controller, before striding across the apartment to pull on a jacket. "Where are you going? It's still early yet, barely seven fifteen – we've only just begun playing!"

"I'm going out, Sheldon. I turned down a perfectly nice invitation this evening, so that you wouldn't miss out on your Halo night…but you seem to be okay playing on your own. I'm staying over at Penny's tonight so I will see you in the morning when I pick you up for work." Leonard stormed over to collect his keys from the bowl next to the door with Sheldon calling out that it wasn't his night to stay over. He waved his hand in dismissal, "Sheldon, I really don't care. It's nearly Christmas and I want to go out and enjoy the season rather than hiding away from it for the rest of the month. I'll see you in the morning. Night, Raj." Leonard closed the door softly behind him, when all he really wanted to do was slam it shut. He jogged down the stairs, whistling 'Silent Night' under his breath and when he reached the lobby he had just reached out a hand to open the door when Raj appeared at his shoulder.

"I'm coming with you, Sheldon started trash talking the Grinch again; and I couldn't take it anymore."

"Huh, you'd have thought that he'd have been a little more sympathetic with the poor guy; after all they are practically related after all." Leonard remarked with a wry grin and the two men walked out into the chilly winter's air looking forward to the evening's festivities; neither one realising that Sheldon had followed down with the intent of apologising for his ungentlemanly like behaviour.

After hearing their comments, he sank down onto the landing leading to the first floor and placed his hands on his knees as he thought about everything that he had learnt during the day.

"My girlfriend loves Christmas, she never told me of this and so I've never purchased her an appropriate gift. My friends are right….I really am a Grinch." Sheldon felt utterly lost as he got to his feet and made his way slowly back up the stairs to his apartment, softly reciting the poem under his breath as he walked over to sink into his usual spot on the couch.

'_The Grinch hated Christmas! The whole Christmas season!  
>Now, please don't ask why. No one quite knows the reason.<br>It could be that his head wasn't screwed on quite right.  
>It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight.<br>But I think that the most likely reason of all  
>May have been that his heart was two sizes too small.'<em>

"Maybe I need to speak to Meemaw; she always seems to be able to make me feel better." Sheldon walked over to his desk to pick up his laptop and sent through a Skype request to his beloved Grandmother. As he waited for the connection, he wondered briefly where Leonard and Raj might have been heading. "Perhaps Wolowitz invited them to some pre-Hanukah party or something."

"Moonpie? What are you doing calling me on a weeknight? Aren't you usually playing your video games with your friends tonight?" Sheldon's Meemaw peered closer into the camera as if she were trying to see whether any of the gang were hiding behind the screen.

"I was playing with Leonard and Raj for a little while, but then they got angry with me and stormed out. Leonard said he wanted to go and do something fun and Christmassy…what could be more fun that playing Halo?"

"Perhaps it was the fact that he wanted to do something that involved getting involved in the season, Moonpie. I was just about to head out of the door myself when you called; I was going over to your Mother's to start on the gingerbread houses for the church raffle."

"Hmm…apparently I missed out on making gingerbread houses in Pasadena last year as well. They waited until I was back home before throwing a Christmas party, Amy made cookies and hot apple cider…and then they decorated gingerbread houses too!" Sheldon sounded so much like a child denied a special treat that Meemaw smiled at his pouting expression.

"Now, that doesn't sound like my Moonpie…my Sheldon doesn't like anything about Christmas, so he certainly would have been glad that his friends did him the courtesy of waiting until he was out of the state before having a Christmas party in his apartment."

"They had a tree, Meemaw – a huge six foot Christmas tree that Leonard had the audacity to mix Star Wars and Star Trek decorations together, he even had them on the same branches!"

"Oh my, that does sound terrible indeed…" Meemaw decided to humour her grandson for a little longer, "So, are they decorating at all this year – or have you managed to persuade them to see things your way at last?"

"I made it perfectly clear in the roommate agreement that Leonard can choose to have a tree, but that it must be no higher than four feet and that each decoration should be carefully spaced evenly on the branches."

"I don't see any sign of a tree yet, maybe he's changed his mind this year."

"Well, it's not December 20th yet. He's not allowed to put the tree up before then and it has to be cleared away before New Year."

"That's a little harsh, don't you think Sheldon?" Sheldon knew his Meemaw was disappointed in him, not only from her change in tone; but the fact that she called him by his proper name.

"So, I guess that you think I'm a Grinch too, Meemaw."

"I didn't say that, Sheldon…I know you have a heart, you just have difficulty showing it to others, that's all. Listen, Moonpie, I have to get going. I'll call you at the weekend and we can have a long chat. I love you, Moonpie."

"Love you, too Meemaw." Sheldon blew her a kiss and smiled as she pretended to catch it and tuck it into the pocket of her blouse. Sheldon looked at his Meemaw's frozen image on the screen, her silvery hair shining from the soft glow of the twinkling lights from the large Christmas tree behind her, his lean fingers hovering over the disconnect icon before disconnecting the call from his end as well. Sheldon sighed heavily as the words of Dr. Seuss rang through his mind once again.

_'__But,  
>Whatever the reason,<br>His heart or his shoes,  
>He stood there on Christmas Eve, hating the Whos,<br>Staring down from his cave with a sour, Grinchy frown  
>At the warm lighted windows below in their town.<br>For he knew every Who down in Who-ville beneath  
>Was busy now, hanging a mistletoe wreath.'<em>

"I guess you can't keep Christmas from coming, whatever you do; every year it's exactly the same…there's just no escaping from it." Sheldon didn't know exactly how long he sat alone in his apartment staring at the darkened screen of his laptop, but a sudden knock at his door had him looking down at his watch to see that it was nearly half past nine; far too late for a casual drop in visitor. He checked the spy hole and saw a slightly weaving Penny standing outside his door, she was wearing a bright red gift bow in her hair and holding a pretty, tartan patterned tin in her hand. Sheldon pulled the door open and invited her to step inside.

"Good evening, Penny. A little late for paying a call don't you think? I was just on my way to bed."

"Here, these are for you." Penny shoved the tin in his hand and spun around to leave again.

"What are they?" Sheldon turned the tin from side to side, but could see no note or description of the contents within.

"I don't know, why don't you open it and find out?" Penny snapped, she was tired and a little on the tipsy side and the last thing she had expected when she got home was to be forced into playing the role of Santa's little helper. "All I know is that I got home just know and Leonard told me to give these to you; he's a little annoyed with you for some reason, but said they were from Amy."

"So that's where he and Raj disappeared to…They left Halo early tonight, Leonard said he'd received an invitation to partake in some Christmas frivolity and I guess from the smell emanating from this container they made sugar cookies." Sheldon prised off the lid a little and the smell of the still warm cookies rose up to tease his nostrils.

"Yeah, I was supposed to go but got stuck at some stupid dinner with Bernadette and her boss. Leonard said that it was just Amy and the guys… I can't believe I missed out on sugar cookies; Leonard better have bought some back with him."

"Amy spent the evening alone with Leonard, Howard and Raj? You and Bernadette weren't present?"

"That's what I said…he's passed out in a sugar coma on the bed and is having some crazy assed dream about a Star Trek quilt with Kirk, Picard and Data on it; I think he mentioned some sort of Superhero wall hanging."

"Mmm…intriguing, perhaps he is trying to convey his wishes for Christmas to you in his sleep. Although you'd be hard pressed to find a decent Star Trek quilt that contained members of both the Original and Next Generation characters depicted on it…that would be a rare find indeed." Sheldon gently started pushing Penny out of the door, wanting to get on the internet to see if such an item existed.

"He was mumbling something about how Raj had these really cool photo's on his phone, but they were one of a kind items…I've already got his gift all sorted, I don't think my paycheck is up to sourcing those kind of collectibles."

"Ah, that's a shame; it sounds like he would have really liked those. Anyway, I'm feeling very tired now, Penny so it was time you were going. Night." Sheldon pushed Penny gently out of the door and closed it firmly behind her before dashing over to bring his laptop out of hibernation. "Now, let's see…Star Trek quilt…hmm; pillow cases, duvet covers but nothing with a mix of the generations…" Sheldon flicked through pages of information but nothing matched Penny's description. He powered down his laptop and made a mental note to try and ease the information out of Raj in the morning. Humming the theme song in his head, Sheldon switched off the lights throughout the apartment and headed down the hallway to bed.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Hold onto your hats! Things are about to get a little bumpy...**

Sheldon didn't get a chance to speak with Raj about the mystery quilt as he found out the next day that Raj had flown out to New York to visit his sister, Priya while she was over from Mumbai working on a case. Penny didn't remember a think about their conversation and Amy was conspicuously absent from the University as she had been called back to UCLA to consult on a paper with her old team. He would have asked Howard, but he was busy finalising work on the latest version of his telescope that was due to be taken up to the International Space Station in the New Year.

Leonard was spending more and more time over at Penny's apartment since Sheldon's return and surprisingly Sheldon was relishing the freedom it gave him; he no longer had to barter for possession of the remote control and things were always in exactly the same position when he returned home at night. Indeed, Sheldon was wondering whether he actually felt the need for another roommate at all. He had decided to give himself six months living alone; he'd finally relented and paid in all of the uncashed pay cheques sitting in the bottom of his desk, he certainly didn't need the financial assistance that having a roommate would bring and if he needed company all he had to do was wait until Monday night Thai or vintage game night of a Friday.

Tonight was Date Night and Sheldon was waiting for Amy to arrive, he had planned a quiet meal at the apartment and had spent the afternoon preparing his Meemaw's recipe for fried chicken. A brief tap on the front door brought Sheldon out of his reverie and glancing down at his watch, he realised that it was seven o'clock precisely.

"Good evening, Amy." Sheldon said as he pulled open the front door to let his girlfriend enter the apartment. "Thank you again for the sugar cookies,– although I feel that it was perhaps a little early for holly and reindeer shaped cookies."

"Hello, Sheldon; I'm sorry you didn't enjoy them they were just the ones that I couldn't fit in the freezer." Amy's quietly spoken greeting had Sheldon looking at her down bent head quizzically. There was no sign of her usual exuberant greeting, which consisted of a peck to his cheek as soon as he pulled open the door, followed by her hand slipping down to grasp his own. Sheldon's hand flexed as if trying to recall the touch; he paused at the door as Amy slipped off her coat – when exactly was the last time that Amy had kissed him or touched his hand? He couldn't remember whether she had kissed his cheek in Arizona, and then recalled that he hadn't given her the opportunity to do so; he had been appalled to see her walk in at Leonard's side not wanting her to know that he hadn't even made it two months out in the world on his own. Sheldon looked over and frowned again, as Amy walked over to take a seat in Leonard's armchair rather than taking her normal position on the couch tucked against his right hand side.

"Oh, I didn't say I didn't enjoy them!" Sheldon said quickly trying to smooth things over between them. "I did! They were delicious…I'm just a little puzzled over the shapes you chose; after all it's still barely even December. Is everything alright, Amy? You seem a little quiet this evening, perhaps a soothing cup of tea?" Sheldon walked over to the kitchen, aiming a glance at Amy over his shoulder.

"Chamomile please, Sheldon – everything is fine, I'm simply a little tired, that is all."

"How are things going with your study, no problems I hope?"

"No, we're almost at the end now; just a few more loose ends to tie up and then I will be returning to UCLA."

"But what about our lunch together every Friday? I won't get to see you on chocolate pudding day!" Sheldon cried out, turning around to face Amy completely forgetting the dripping tea bag in his hand.

"Sheldon, our lunch together yesterday was the first since you've got back; it really won't be any different from what we're doing at the moment."

"Has it really been that long? I hadn't realised." Sheldon looked down and frowned as he suddenly realised the mess he was making on the kitchen floor. He deposited the spent tea bags in the trash and then bent down to spritz the floor with a little cleaning solution and mopped it with a piece of absorbent kitchen towel. Picking up the two mugs, he walked over to the living room. After handing one of the mugs over to Amy, he sank back into his spot cradling his own mug between his lean hands.

"Sheldon, I have something for you." Amy's quiet tone had him looking over at where the light of the lamp bounced off the shiny waterfall of her hair; as she reached into her bag to pull out a folded copy of their Relationship Agreement. Sheldon immediately felt his throat tighten up in panic, surely she wasn't trying to break up with him? He kept his hands tightly wrapped around his mug, not wanting to touch the paper at all and hardly making eye contact. "I have taken the liberty of drafting a few amendments to our existing agreement; look it over and let me know what you think." Amy placed the agreement down on the coffee table and it was only then that Sheldon realised that there were several sticky notes poking out of the edge of the folder.

"You're not terminating the agreement?"

"I wasn't planning on it, no – unless that's what you want?"

"No!" Sheldon sat forward so fast that his tea was in danger of sloshing over the edge of the mug. He slammed it down on the table and leant forward to press his hands on his knees. "No…" He repeated in a softer tone, "I know I haven't been the poster boy for the best relationship on record, but I am trying."

"I know you are Sheldon, and I want to do everything I can to make you feel comfortable with me again." Amy gently nudged the document across the table so that it was within arm's length of Sheldon. "I think that I'm not going to stay for dinner this evening after all." She said as she rose to her feet and picked up her coat from where Sheldon had placed it on the back of his desk chair. "Read over my suggestions and think about it for a couple of days, I won't be at CalTech for the rest of the week as I'm taking a few days to write up my papers at home. Feel free to Skype me with your thoughts. Good night, Sheldon."

"Um…yes… Good night, Amy." Sheldon murmured in response, he was a little upset that she wasn't going to join him in a meal but his cotillion training had him rising up from the couch and escorting her to the front door. He watched as Amy walked down the stairs and disappeared around the corner before stepping back inside his apartment, his lean fingers curling around the doorknob as if he could keep the last traces of her with him. Sheldon turned and walked slowly back to the couch, picking up Amy's newly amended Relationship Agreement and flicking to the first of the highlighted passages.

_Section 5: Hand holding_

_Handholding is permitted when the party of the first part (the 'boyfriend') and the party of the second part (the 'girlfriend') are not in the immediate vicinity of their peer group and have clearly demonstrated their hands are germ free by applying a generous coating of Purell._

_Sheldon's eyebrows raised up into his hairline as he saw that Amy had crossed through the whole section and attached a sticky note on which she had quoted from his original version. _

_Hand holding is only permitted under the following circumstances;_

_A) Either party is in danger of falling off a cliff, precipice or ledge_

_B) Either party is deserving of a hearty handshake after winning a Nobel Prize_

_C) Moral support during flu shots_

_Sheldon grabbed a red marker pen and started scoring through sections, muttering under his breath; "I don't think so, ya little Vixen; ya cain't lead a man down the path to temptation and then just cut him off cold turkey…" Sheldon continued to flick through the rest of Amy's revisions until he paused at the sections added after they had returned from their weekend away in Napa._

_Section 6: Date Night_

_'__Date Night' refers to every second Thursday in every month or the third Thursday in a month of five. The boyfriend and girlfriend will alternative the choosing of an appropriate activity for each 'Date Night'. _

_Addendum 6A – On the anniversary of the couple's first date the couple must dine in a higher class of restaurant (see Appendix A and note that any attempt to book The Cheesecake Factory will incur an immediate penalty and the boyfriend/girlfriend at fault will forfeit their right to select the activity when it is next their turn). Conversation must be held over dinner and any physical contact must be in a manner classed as 'affectionate' and 'intimate'._

_Addendum 6B – At the start of every 'Date Night' the 'Girlfriend' must greet the 'Boyfriend' with a kiss to the cheek; at the end of every 'Date Night' the 'Boyfriend' must reciprocate the action; kissing on the lips is permitted if neither party has partaken from the foodstuffs listed in Appendix B_

Sheldon noted that Amy had scored a line through both recently added Addendum's and had stuck a label over the initial paragraph, noting that they should change back to just the second Thursday of each month. "Ridiculous!" Sheldon muttered as his red pen scored through Amy's amendments. "If we did that then we would only see each other once a month for our Date Night, and perhaps once a week for Thai…no, that simply will not do at all." Sheldon threw the Agreement down onto the coffee table and folded his arms across his chest as refusing to look at the papers scattered haphazardly across the surface. The light grew dim as the evening drew to a close and still Sheldon sat in the same position, staring into the empty armchair as if Amy were still there. Eventually he got up and walked slowly through the echoing apartment, feeling desperately alone for the very first time…


	5. Chapter 5

Sheldon was quiet at the lunch table the next day and his friends exchanged glances of concern. The same music as the day before was being piped out of the tinny speakers dotted around the cafeteria. Sheldon was definitely not a fan of the Season in general but positively loathed repetitive Christmas music bombarding him everywhere he went. It seemed forever between Thanksgiving and New Year and usually he had some pithy comment to make at every given moment. Today however he remained silent and Leonard was beginning to get worried.

"So, Sheldon – how was your date with Amy last night? Did she enjoy the fried chicken that you made?"

"Amy decided not to stay for dinner after all, Leonard." Sheldon commented quietly, he barely looked up from his meal, pushing his salad around his plate in a half-hearted manner.

"Buddy, I'm sorry to hear that…is everything okay between you guys? I know that you haven't had much time together lately and I know how much you were looking forward to spending a little quiet time together last night." Leonard looked over to see that Sheldon had barely touched his meal and it was one of his favourites.

"I don't think things are 'okay' between us at all, Leonard. It seems that Amy only call in as she wanted to drop this off for my agreement." Sheldon pushed his plate to one side, along with all enthusiasm for the meal. He pulled out the amended copy of the Relationship Agreement out of his ever present messenger bag and set it on the table.

"Oh, it seems Amy wants a little Sheldon in her Christmas stocking this year!" Howard gave Sheldon a waggle of his eyebrows. "What's she asking for this time, Sheldon? A little tongue action or the full monty?"

"I'll thank you to keep your lewd suggestions for your wife, Mr. Wolowitz!" Sheldon spat out angrily as he pushed his chair away from the table with a little screech and stormed out of the cafeteria, forgetting to pick up the papers from where he had placed them in front of Leonard.

"Not cool, dude." Raj shook his head at Howard and looked over to where Leonard had picked up the Agreement and was scanning through the document.

"Oh, boy…I think I see what's gotten Sheldon so riled up." Leonard rubbed his fingers over his forehead as he continued to read through Amy's suggestions. "Amy's taken out everything that they've working toward over the last year…she wants Date Night to be put back to once a month, no hand holding, kissing or snuggling on the couch…Damn it!"

"What?" Howard leant forward, wondering what had ticked Leonard off so badly that he had yelled out in the middle of a packed cafeteria. His mind was still trying to wrap itself around the fact that Sheldon and Amy had even been kissing in the first place; none of the group had ever witnessed a PDA between the pair of them, but for Amy to cross it out of the Agreement it had meant that Sheldon had to have put it in there in the first place.

"No, no, no." Leonard started chanting under his breath as he scanned through the rest of the section that had caught his attention.

"Leonard, what on earth has you so rattled?" Raj asked and Leonard looked distraught as he set the Agreement down and tapped the relevant section.

"Amy cancelled Christmas."

"No!" Raj cried out as he picked up the Agreement and saw the truth for himself written in cold black and white.

_Section 7 – Holidays and Family Obligations_

_The 'Girlfriend' shall give the 'Boyfriend' no less than 72 hours advance notice in the event of any travel plans. Additionally the 'Girlfriend' must perform a complete maintenance check on the vehicle to be used for travel and confirm any necessary vaccinations from the CDC prior to booking the trip. _

_Addendum 7A – Family Obligations_

_As per above section the 'Girlfriend' must not only provide the minimum 72 hours' notice in writing, but must also provide a written biography and any pertinent information to the 'Boyfriend' 36 hours prior to meeting, in order that the 'Boyfriend' be able to converse in a natural manner._

_Addendum 7B – Holidays_

_The 'Girlfriend' must agree to celebrate Star Wars Day with the 'Boyfriend', Isaac Newton's birthday and the 'Boyfriend's' Birthday (to note –parties of any nature, surprise or otherwise are strictly forbidden, as are any gift giving)_

_In return the 'Boyfriend' will agree to celebrate Christmas, New Year, Valentine's Day and the 'Girlfriend's' birthday (to note, although surprise parties are not encouraged failure to acknowledge the last two items will result in an immediate forfeit)_

"She can't cancel Christmas!" Howard pulled the papers out of Raj's hand and noted the bold crossing through of the whole section. "Damn it! She's cancelled Star Wars Day as well! This can't be happening…"

"We had a great time making the cookies the other night; she seemed a little quieter than usual but I just put that down to Sheldon's comments at lunch – I guess it affected her more than she let on. Christmas was spectacular last year, we have to do something guys." Leonard took the Agreement back from Howard and shoved it in his bag. "I'm gonna call Penny, see if she knows what is going on…I think we need an emergency meeting over at your place tonight, Howard. We can't have it at ours otherwise Sheldon will know something's going on."

"Agreed. You call Penny and I'll speak to Bernadette." Howard nodded and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He dialled up Bernadette's number and frowned as it went straight to voicemail. "No luck, Bernie must be busy."

"Hold on, Penny's phone is ringing now." Leonard said as he pressed his phone to his ear waiting for his fiancée to answer. "Penny, it's Leonard."

"I can see that, Leonard. Your number is in my phone after all. What's up sweetie?"

"We've got a major disaster on our hands, Penny."

"Has Sheldon ran out of Purell again? Tell him not to worry, I'll grab him a few samples from work."

"I only wish it were that simple. Hold on, let me Skype you in a couple of minutes from the lab."

"Okay, sweetie. Bye." Penny made kissing noises down the phone and Leonard blushed as he disconnected.

"Gentlemen, shall we?" Leonard waved his arm toward his lab and his friends followed him down the hall to the experimental physics division. "Come on in and close the door. I don't want Sheldon walking by and accidentally overhearing anything Penny may say."

"You think she knows about this already?"

"Could be, Amy seems to tell her everything. Believe me, I had to sit through a full hour of squealing when Amy told her all about the kiss Sheldon planted on her when they went to Napa."

"How come I never heard about it before now?" Raj pursed his lips in disappointment, he shipped the pair of them the hardest and yet he never got to hear the juicy details.

"I don't know, usually Penny blabs everything." Leonard called up Penny on Skype and her face filled the screen a few seconds later. "Hey Penny."

"Hey guys, so what's up that couldn't wait until I got home?"

"Amy cancelled Christmas." Leonard said bluntly and watched his fiancée closely for any sign of reaction. "Did you know anything about this?"

"WHAT?" Penny screeched into the microphone, standing up to pace in front of the monitor. "She can't do this to me…How am I going to get through Christmas without her gingerbread cookies? Or her choco-mint hot cocoa?" Penny sat down in her chair with a slump, "I guess this means that we won't get any more of those pillowcases either."

"She didn't just cancel Christmas, Penny – although that is by far the worst one- she cancelled nearly everything in the damned Agreement!"

"Whoa…back up a little, Leonard and don't forget to use your inhaler. What exactly is going on?" Penny waved her hands at the webcam as Leonard started wheezing slightly. He took a puff from his inhaler and Raj leant around him to talk to Penny.

"Amy went over to Sheldon's last night with the sole purpose of dropping of a revised copy of their Relationship Agreement. He was a little miffed that she didn't stay for dinner, but it got a whole lot worse when he started reading through her suggestions. She wants Date Night put back to once a month, no hugging, kissing, hand holding. She's cancelled their arrangements for Star Wars day, their birthdays, Christmas, New Year, and Valentine's…it's like she wants to go back to their Friendship Agreement rather than be in a relationship." Raj flipped through the pages as he read from each section Amy had stuck a label on.

"And how did Sheldon take it? I thought he would have been pleased to have things back the way they were…"

"He just got really quiet, he didn't even make one comment when they played 'White Christmas' on a continuous loop during lunch." Howard leant forward, Penny gave a gasp and her eyes started filling up with tears.

"She's finally broken my little Moonpie."

"I guess he read it all the way through, there's definite signs of Sheldon's scrawl over some of the pages. I think he's even written some comments next to her suggestions; half of them I don't really understand, but against next to moving Date night to once a month he's written 'I'd just as soon bite a bug' and there's another comment next to removing holding hands and kissing at the end of the night - 'she may be smart as a hooty owl but she don't know jack about this'"

"It seems Sheldon is definitely not in favour of Amy's amendments; I've heard him say a few of those before and the first one means that he doesn't like it and the second is his way of telling her that she doesn't know what she's talking about." Penny scrunched up her nose a little as she tried to remember Sheldon's little sayings over the years. "Yeah, he's really not happy about this, I mean, I knew Amy was feeling a little hurt over the way he's been so distant lately so maybe this is her way of dealing with it."

"Like a reset button?" Leonard asked, and Penny smiled.

"Exactly, they did it before after Amy drunk kissed him before they were even officially an item…Uh, forget I said that will you? Sheldon doesn't know that Amy told me…"

"You've said it now, Penny. Spill it, sister!" Howard leant on his elbows, face eager for every detail.

"It was the night that Bernadette, Amy and I took Sheldon out on the town when Leonard was seeing Priya. We'd had a little too much to drink, one thing lead to another and we ended up in a little dance club on the outskirts of town."

"Ooh, nice!" Raj gave a little swivel of his hips and started waving his hands in the air. "Hoo, hoo!"

"Not that kind of club, Raj." Penny said with a wry grin. "It turns out Sheldon cuts quite a rug on the old dance floor, he whisked Amy out and showed her how to Rumba, ChaCha and waltz. I got stuck with some Korean old guy that didn't know how to keep his hands above my butt all night."

"Great, now I've got the image of Sheldon doing Saturday Night Fever instead of John Travolta, thanks Penny." Howard gave a little grimace and shivered in distaste.

"You're welcome, sweetie. Anyway Sheldon dropped me and Bernadette off at my place and then saw Amy home. Apparently she leant in to give him a little sugar and then spent the rest of the night throwing up in her bathroom. He waited until she fell asleep and then propped a towel under her head and walked all the way home."

"Oh, that's so romantic!" Raj blubbered and started to cry, "We have to fix this, and we can't let Amy get away. I need my Christmas!"

"Raj, you didn't even celebrate Christmas until you started hanging around with us. Besides, it was only great because Sheldon wasn't around to ruin it for us…" Howard nudged Raj's shoulder and the two men started a scuffle.

"That's mean! Sheldon might have enjoyed Christmas, he just wasn't given the chance! Don't forget when he got back from Texas, Amy flew out to spend the actual holiday with her Mother, they've never actually experienced a whole season together. It's a shame because we all know how hard she's worked on those fabulous quilts for Sheldon…and Howard's already made it clear that he wants first refusal on the rest if she doesn't wrap them up this year."

"I need to get back to work, how about we pick this up a little later?" Leonard glanced at the clock and saw that it was getting on for two o'clock.

"Okay, my place eight o'clock…bring beer." Howard advised Raj before turning away to walk down the corridor to his engineering lab. Leonard signed off the Skype session with Penny and he turned his attention to his laser programme for the rest of the afternoon.


	6. Chapter 6

That evening the whole gang bar Sheldon and Amy, gathered in Howard and Bernadette's apartment to discuss the implications of Amy's proposal to Sheldon. Penny poured herself a glass of wine from the bottle offered by Bernadette and listened to Raj list all of the reasons that Amy should continue with her plans. She continued to listen for a while and then leant forward to interrupt.

"Listen guys, Amy obviously has very good reasons for wanting these changes. I don't know what those reasons are, Amy hasn't confided very much in me since Sheldon returned – but I think we need to respect her decision."

"Penny, you can't be serious!" Howard interjected and threw his hands up in the air. "You obviously haven't been paying attention to everything that Raj has been saying. Take a look at this photo…" Howard grabbed Raj's iPhone and scrolled down to the first of the quilts that Amy had pieced together for Sheldon. Penny looked at the quilt and then back up at Howard.

"Yeah, it's a quilt…and it's got those Star Wars characters on it…she probably bought it from Target or something."

"No…it took Amy six months to piece it together from some t-shirts that Stuart special ordered for her; this was what she was going to give Sheldon for their first Christmas together, this is for their second.." Howard flicked over to the second picture and then the third... "And the one for this year…see, it looks like a comic book strip; it's all made from t-shirts that she made into a wall hanging."

"Why hasn't she given them to him? They're amazing…I knew that she was good, but these are just amazing! Look at the detail, and I don't even like those movies." Penny scrolled through the photos again and paused on the Star Trek quilt. She remembered Leonard's sleeping mumbling from a few nights ago and now knew what had made him so excited.

"Sheldon doesn't do Christmas, remember? I know Amy said that for her Christmas was all about the joy of giving…but her love for him shows with every stitch and she probably knows that Sheldon just wouldn't get that." Raj took his phone from Penny and slipped it back in his pocket.

"Well, we're just going to have to get Sheldon into Christmas this year…and make sure that Amy gives him the best Christmas present ever." Penny swigged the last of her wine and rose from the chair. "Come on Leonard, we're going over to Amy's to get Christmas back on track!"

Twenty minutes later Penny and Leonard tapped on Amy's front door and waited patiently in the hallway for her to answer. Leonard nudged Penny's shoulder and jerked his head at the empty panel on the door. "There was a wreath hanging up there the other night when we came over to make cookies…she's taken it down." Penny took Leonard's hand in her own and rubbed her cheek against his shoulder comfortingly as Amy slowly opened her door.

"Hello." Amy said quietly as she stood to one side and allowed them entrance. Leonard glanced around as he and Penny stepped over the doorstop; there wasn't a single sign of the festive atmosphere that he'd noticed earlier in the week. The living room felt sterile and cold, rather than the warm comforting feeling that had come from the soft glow of the twinkling lights around the window pane and the smell of apple cinnamon candles burning low. Everything had been tidied away leaving only the starkness of bare cream walls and perfectly aligned books stored along her shelving units.

"Hi Amy…what happened in here? It looked gorgeous the other night and now…well, it's a little bare to be perfectly honest." Leonard crossed over to where Amy was filling the kettle and setting it on the stove to heat. "Penny, you should have seen it in here…it was truly spectacular. Amy had a gorgeous little tree on her desk and lots of little figurines on the bookcase; she told me that she had been collecting the little Santa's since she was a little girl."

"Ames? Oh, sweetie…" Penny saw Amy wiping away a tear from her eye and immediately walked over to pull her into a hug. "Come on, Ames - let's sit down and talk about it."

"I don't want to talk about it…I've made my decision and already informed Sheldon accordingly." Amy wiped her eyes with a tissue and dabbed at her slightly red nose as she slumped on the couch next to Leonard. He reached over to pat her hand and she returned his comforting gesture with a slight smile.

"Sheldon showed us the revised agreement, but I have to say Amy – he didn't seem too pleased with some of the changes." Leonard announced and Penny shushed him.

"Leonard, Amy doesn't want to talk about Sheldon right now. Let's focus on what Amy wants right now and forget about what Whackadoodle wants…Tell me, sweetie – what do you want?"

"Penny, I'm never going to have what I really want so I'm trying to make the best of what I have." Amy said quietly, shredding the tissue between her fingers and keeping her gaze averted from her bestie. Penny grunted slightly and tapped Amy's knee to get her attention.

"No, sweetie…I want you to tell me what you **really** want; not what you're settling for."

"I want a boyfriend that doesn't need a stupid agreement in order to touch me! I want to be able to kiss him whenever I want and not just when he deems it appropriate! I want to be able to celebrate Christmas without him trying to work out how much money he needs to spend in order to match my gift giving!" Amy threw her hands in the air and started pacing the length of her living room, spouting out her frustrations that had been building up over the last six months. "I can't take much more of this inching forward with Sheldon only for him to start running in the opposite direction…maybe I should have just called the whole thing off…I don't think either of us are particularly happy with our relationship at the moment."

"Amy…" Leonard really didn't know what to say, he hadn't realised that Amy had been feeling so frustrated with Sheldon. It had been obvious from the start that it was Amy that was the driving force behind moving things forward but he had truly thought that they were both happy with the level of intimacy that they had reached; Leonard had observed the couple holding hands during movie nights and accidentally walked in on a goodnight kiss once or twice – but he had honestly thought that Amy was happy with the way things were.

"Sweetie, you know I love Sheldon like a brother – but if you are really this unhappy then maybe you should consider calling things off. I've never seen you this way before and I know it is going to hurt, but I promise that I will be here for you no matter what you decide." Penny ran her hand down Amy's arm to clasp her friend's hand tightly. Amy squeezed lightly in return and managed a slight smile.

"Thanks bestie…I don't know what I would do without the two of you." Amy glanced over at Leonard whose eyes were shining with the shimmer of unshed tears; he reached over at patted her hand offering whatever comfort he could. Amy sighed heavily before straightening up her shoulders and reaching for her laptop. "Okay, I'm gonna do it…" She opened her e-mail programme and before she could change her mind, sent off the e-mail that could effectively change the whole group dynamic forever. "There – it's done, all I have to do know is get a certified copy over to Sheldon within three business days and we will officially no longer be a couple." Amy sat back against the couch, suddenly feeling very drained. Penny nudged at Leonard to move over so that she could squeeze in between them.

"Sweetie, I'm going to stay over tonight okay? I don't think that you should be on your own right now."

"I'll be fine, really." Amy assured Penny with a faint smile but Penny could already see the lines of strain around her eyes and mouth and knew it wouldn't be too long before Amy hit ground zero.

"No, sweetie…trust me in a few hours you're gonna be wanting my company. We'll sit up all night and talk some trash or throw paper darts at Sheldon's picture…"

"Oh My God! What have I done? I've ruined everything!" Amy suddenly went very pale and Penny recognised the signs of an imminent meltdown about to take place and nudged Leonard's shoulder.

"This is where you will be wanting to leave, Leonard…it's gonna get very weepy pretty soon." Penny muttered into his ear and his eyes widened in understanding.

"Okay, Amy – you need anything and you just call me, okay?" Leonard reached down to touch Amy's shoulder lightly but she failed to respond in anyway, he looked over at Penny who just jerked her head toward the door. Giving Penny a quick kiss goodbye Leonard hightailed it out of the apartment just as the dam broke and Amy collapsed against Penny's shoulder; hot tears soaking through the thin material of her blouse.

"There, there sweetie…come on, just let it all out." Penny crooned as she rubbed Amy's back soothingly. Amy was absolutely distraught and started choking out words against Penny's shoulder.

"Not….just….him…I've…lost….everyone!"

"Oh sweetie, no!" Penny drew back a little to wipe Amy's nose and eyes with a tissue pulled from the box on the coffee table. "You can't lose us, it doesn't matter whether you're with Sheldon or not…we're always gonna be friends! Hey – I didn't let you wear me down for nothing, you know!" Penny joked tearfully, trying to lighten the atmosphere and coax a smile out of Amy.

"What about the guys? I can't expect them to just abandon Sheldon's routine to start hanging out with me…you know they spend practically every night at Los Robles."

"No they don't….oh, crap! Yeah, they do…" Penny started to protest before she realised that Amy was absolutely correct; Monday night was Thai night, Wednesdays was new Comic-book night, Thursdays was traditionally pizza night with Friday for vintage video games; leaving only Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday where the gang did their own thing. "We'll have to have our own thing on Saturday's then… it can be Amy night! We're still gonna have girls night on a Friday, we can just come here instead of meeting at my place…Sweetie, there are no hard and fast rules here."

"It never ends well though does it? I mean statistically speaking most couples keep the same friends as they started with in the event of a separation…I didn't know any of you until I met Sheldon, so it stands to reason that I would be the one to lose out."

"Sweetie, do you really thing Howard is gonna let you disappear just like that? He lives for your sugar cookies – don't forget he was the only one that was gonna come over the other night; Raj and Leonard decided to go to Halo night and they only changed their mind when Sheldon started getting all Grinchy on them. You've got all the guys fighting amongst themselves for first dibs on those quilts you made for Sheldon…Hey – why don't you give them one each for Christmas? That would really piss Sheldon off – he had a little gleam in his eye when I dropped your cookies off to him the other night. I happened to mention that Leonard was sleeping off a sugar high and dreaming about the Star Trek quilt; Sheldon practically shoved me out of the door and I could hear him mumbling something about what a rare find it would be to have all of the characters together on one quilt! It would kinda be like the ultimate revenge scenario…you could give the guys one of the quilts each and I could invite them all over for a grand unwrapping party – I could even video his expression on my phone!" Penny grinned evilly and raised her eyebrows at Amy, finally she saw a glimmer of a real smile lighting up Amy's eyes and the tears turned into chuckles as both women thought about how Sheldon might react at the sight of Raj, Leonard and Howard opening Amy's gifts in front of him.

"I might just do that anyway." Amy stated quietly, leaning forward to pluck another tissue out of the box. "They all seemed to appreciate the hours of love and labour that went into making them, I've never seen Howard look so animated before…he really seemed shocked when he found out I had sewed them all by hand. I think he had his eye on the comic-book style wall hanging."

"Leonard really seemed to like the Star Trek one, he was practically drooling when he told me about it..." Penny settled back against the cushions on the couch and waited for Amy to join her. Instead of sitting by her side, Amy disappeared into the bedroom emerging a few minutes later with several bulky items draped across her arms. She set them down on the couch and crossed over to her desk to pull out a large roll of brown wrapping paper and some twine.

"Help me wrap them?" Amy asked quietly and it was then Penny knew that there was no going back from the decision that Amy had made earlier. For Amy to give away the presents that she had lovingly crafted for Sheldon…well, there were some things that were never meant to be. Penny sniffed back a tear and reached out a hand for the scissors, Amy handed them over and the pair of them silently wrapped the gifts in brown paper, fastening it in place with twine. Amy scrawled a few gift tags to match and then crossed over to collect her keys from the pot on the counter.

"Are you coming?" She looked over at Penny and arched her brow in question.

"Where?" Penny stood up from the couch, looking a little confused.

"To deliver the gifts…I don't want to wait until Christmas after all. The quicker they are gone, the quicker I can start to move on."

"What about getting the guys to open them in front of Sheldon?" Penny asked as they left the apartment and headed toward the elevator. When Amy simply looked over at Penny and gave her a frown, Penny shook her head. "I thought it was a great idea…" She mumbled as she shifted the bulky parcel in her arms.

"I guess I'm just not the revenge type of person, besides Sheldon hasn't done anything to warrant that type of juvenile behaviour – he hasn't done anything wrong, I just always seem to need more than he is capable of giving me. I want a home and a family of my own, Penny, and Sheldon obviously doesn't." Amy stepped out of the elevator and crossed over the lobby to prop open the glass doors. "You look shocked, bestie."

"I never really thought you were the type to want all of that. I mean, the whole white picket fence, a dog running around the yard and a baby…"

"Yeah, I really want all of that. I went into neurobiology because it was something I was good at, but all I've ever really wanted was a quiet life…someone to come home to at the end of the day that will rub my feet if they are achy, get me a mug of cocoa when I'm feeling chilly and then snuggle with me in front of a roaring fire while we wait for Santa to arrive – the kids will be excited and have trouble going to sleep and we will finally curl up on the couch in front of a huge Christmas tree that's lit up with hundreds of twinkling lights. I want the dream, Penny and I'm getting too old to waste any more time foolishly hoping that Sheldon will one day want the same thing." Amy looked over to see tears rolling down Penny's cheeks as she sat on a bench in the lobby.

"Ames…that's so beautiful…I want you to have everything you've ever dreamed of; and when you do, Leonard and I will be there to help you put up that big tree and set the presents out for your kids… I wanna bake cookies with you and pop over for a cup of sugar…" Penny started sobbing and this time it was Amy that pulled Penny into her arms and stroked her hand through Penny's short blond locks.

"Bestie, you will I promise…Ssh…tell you what, why don't you come over tomorrow afternoon and we'll get started on those sugar cookies? I'll even teach you how to make one of those pillowcases that I made you last year…you can wrap it up for Leonard and I'm sure he'd love it if he knew you'd made it for him."

"Really?" Penny lifted her head from Amy's shoulder and blinked back her tears. "I'd love that Ames, I really would. That's one of the things I like so much about working for Zangen – no more weekend shifts at the Cheesecake Factory."

"Sure, we can even look up houses on the web and pick out my dream house. I'll let you cut out pictures from the home décor magazines I've been saving for a rainy day; we can start a scrapbook or something."

"Sweetie, that sounds lovely…can I bring Leonard?" Penny wiped her eyes and glanced over at Amy questioningly. She beamed a high wattage smile over at Amy when she grinned and nodded in approval. "Great! Come on, let's go play Santa!"


	7. Chapter 7

Over at Los Robles, Sheldon had just returned from his regular Saturday night laundry duties and was sitting on the couch watching the day's feed from the koala exhibit at the Los Angeles zoo. A chiming from his inbox alerted him to the fact that he had received a new message and he paused the video to switch over to his e-mail programme. He smiled widely as he saw that it was a message from Amy, and eagerly clicked on the message to open it.

**Notice of intent to dissolve Relationship**

"No, no, no…." Sheldon chanted, his smile dissolving as he scrolled through the brief message and clicked on the attachment. He saw the irrefutable proof on the last page – Amy Farrah Fowler – her signature flowery scrawl was clear to see and Sheldon reread the entire e-mail to make sure that he hadn't misunderstood. "She can't do this! All she wanted was a reset…and now this! What on earth is going through that woman's head? I'm not signing this…" Sheldon reached over to grab his phone, hitting his speed dial to demand an explanation from the woman herself. He swore lightly under his breath as it went directly to voicemail and he hung up – this was one conversation that needed to be in person.

"Leonard! He'll know what's going on…I bet Amy's told Penny and Lord knows that woman couldn't keep a secret to herself for very long." Sheldon threw his phone down onto the coffee table and jumped up from the couch, striding to the door and yanking it open. Had he been a few seconds earlier he might have seen Amy and Penny disappearing down the staircase on their way back to Amy's car….

Knock, knock, knock "LEONARD!" Sheldon pounded on Penny's apartment door and yelled out for his former roommate. He raised his fist to pound again just as the door flew open to reveal an almost smug looking Leonard holding his new quilt in his arms.

"Sheldon buddy! Good to see you… you've only just caught me, I'm on my way out."

"What is that?" Sheldon forgot what he was about to say when his eyes caught sight of the most amazing thing he'd ever seen in his whole life…it was perfect and he immediately coveted it for himself.

"This? A little early Christmas present from a couple of Santa's elves." Leonard caressed the soft fabric between his fingers and smiled happily. "Isn't it great?" He walked over to the couch and laid it out flat to reveal the full scope of the quilt.

"Amazing…" Sheldon whispered reverently as his lean finger hovered slightly above the image of his beloved Star Trek characters all immortalised in one setting.

"Hey – fingers off!" Leonard tapped Sheldon's wandering hand just as it was about to make contact with the soft fabric and Sheldon looked startled.

"I wasn't going to hurt it…I just wanted to see if it felt as soft as it looks."

"It does…Oh, wait a minute – I've got a call coming in." Leonard heard the chiming from his laptop letting him know that a Skype call was waiting for him. "Hands off, Sheldon." He warned lightly as he walked over to accept the call. Howard's excited face filled the screen.

"Leonard! I can't believe it!" Howard was holding something on his lap and Leonard had a good idea that Howard had just received a visit from Santa's elves as well.

"You too? Which one?"

"I got the comic-book strip! It's even more amazing than the photo! Look!" Howard unrolled the black fabric and stood back slightly from the camera, revealing the wall hanging in its entirety.

"Dear Lord! Batman, Superman, Flash…it's like all my childhood fantasies come to life." Sheldon gasped at the sight of his favourite characters blending together, despite the fact that they were from separate universes.

"Oh, hey Sheldon." Howard said, a little of his earlier animation fading from his face; he did feel a little guilty knowing that he was gushing over a gift that was created originally for Sheldon. "Hang on, I've got another call coming in…let me put you on split screen for a sec."

"Howard, you'll never guess what…I got it!" Raj's excited tone was higher pitched than usual and instead of his face appearing in the screen, it was filled with his gift instead. Sheldon leant closer, scrutinising every detail.

"There's Yoda, Han Solo, Darth Vader…everyone on one quilt…it's truly a sight to see." Sheldon murmured quietly, a note of envy colouring his tone.

"The note said 'To Raj – for being a great friend, an early gift from Santa's elves…'."

"Mine said the same…"

"Yeah, me too." The three friend's looked at each other, knowing the true identity of the 'elf' and not wanting to say too much in front of Sheldon, who was looking slightly put out that he was the only one not in receipt of an early gift.

"I gotta go…" Leonard stated, checking his watch for the time. "Oh, yeah…I can't make paintball tomorrow, so you need to find a fourth…I've got something to do with Penny instead. See you Monday, guys." Leonard disconnected from Howard, already knowing that he and Raj would probably stay online debating who got the better gift.

"Where are we going to find a fourth at this short notice? Really, Leonard this is too much…" Sheldon sighed heavily, first Amy and now Leonard – it seemed as if the fates were conspiring against him. "Have you got time for a mug of tea before you go?"

"Sheldon, I'm sorry but I really don't…I promised Penny we would have a night out in town, she's booked a hotel and everything…I'm already running late as it is…Can we catch up on Monday?" Leonard felt terrible about lying to Sheldon, but really didn't want to stick around to listen about how mistreated Sheldon felt after receiving the e-mail from Amy…they'd been down this road before and Leonard just wanted to be anywhere but at Los Robles.

"Monday? Can't we get together before then? I really do need to talk to someone…" Sheldon twisted his fingers together in front of him and looked accusingly at Leonard.

"I'm sorry, Sheldon but I won't be back until late tomorrow. Why don't we talk in the car on the way to work on Monday? I'll even pick you up early so that we can take the long route…" Leonard started edging toward the door, scooping up his quickly packed overnight bag and placing it outside the door with the quilt.

"You're taking your new quilt with you?" Sheldon looked down at the item and then back up at Leonard.

"Yeah…you're always saying how scratchy hotel covers are…" Leonard said quickly and Sheldon shook his head slightly.

"Something as rare as that should be treasured, not kept for everyday use."

"It's not for everyday and I want to use it tonight…it's my present and I want to enjoy it!" Leonard scooped the quilt up again and started stroking his finger over the soft fabric. He had a look on his face that reminded Sheldon of the time they had found a ring used as a prop from The Lord of The Rings movie franchise, and he fully expected Leonard to start calling it his 'precious' in a crooning manner. "I have to go…sorry, buddy…see you Monday!" Leonard ran down the stairwell before Sheldon could utter another syllable, leaving the tall, Texan standing alone in the hallway. Sheldon slowly crossed over to his suddenly empty feeling apartment and shut the door behind him. He walked over to the couch and saw he'd left the e-mail from Amy open on the screen…Sheldon ignored the laptop and continued walking, shutting himself in his bedroom and closing the door firmly behind him.


	8. Chapter 8

"Leonard! Come in, we were starting to get worried…what kept you?" Penny opened the door to Amy's apartment, evergreen coloured tinsel draped around her shoulders and holding a bunch of silk poinsettia in her hands.

"Hi…yeah, I was just about to leave when Sheldon came over; I feel terrible, he really wanted to talk and I just wanted to get out of there…Oh, and I got a call from Howard while he was there…"

"Oh…" Amy looked up from where she was unravelling several strands of white lights and frowned slightly. "How did he react? Did he seem upset?"

"Upset over your e-mail or upset over not receiving an early gift from Santa?" Leonard asked, setting his bag down near the couch and folding the quilt over the arm.

"Hey – only people that believe in Santa get a gift…so that rules Sheldon out from the start!" Penny quipped drolly, earning her another frown from Amy.

"Bestie… lay off the eggnog, you're sounding a little bitter there."

"Sorry." Penny apologised, hanging her head a little at Amy's softly voiced admonishment.

"It's okay…but let me just say this one time, I will not tolerate any Sheldon bashing tonight or any other night…he hasn't done anything wrong it just didn't work out between the two of us. I just want to have a nice evening decorating the apartment and tomorrow we'll make cookies and start scouring the web for my dream house…that's it."

"Wait…you want to look for a house?" Leonard leant forward and Penny patted his hand as she walked past with the tinsel.

"Amy has a dream about having a little house with a roaring fire…we're gonna start a scrapbook and cut pictures out of those cute decorating magazines."

"Actually, bestie…I was thinking earlier…it wouldn't take much to make at least part of my dream a reality…I've been setting aside a large portion of my salary away for years, I could really start looking seriously for a house." Amy looked up from her box of ornaments, and pulled out a folder of newspaper clippings that she had been saving for years. She passed it over to Leonard who started flicking through them. "This is the type of house that I've always been drawn to…"

"Nice…white clapboard, five bed, three bath over two levels…very grown up." Leonard passed the folder over to Penny who had taken a seat on the couch next to him.

"You'd be the first of the group to actually own a real house….that's one step closer to your dream, Ames."

"I know; I just don't really know where to start." Amy left the box of ornaments and crossed over to perch on the edge of the coffee table.

"Perhaps you could start looking around in the area's that you are interested in, then you can see whether you can actually afford to live in those areas…you need to take in account how much of a mortgage you would qualify for and how much you have set aside for the deposit, furnishings, any improvements needed etc." Leonard ticked off each requirement on his fingers and Amy nodded.

"The mortgage won't be a problem as I'm not foreseeing the need for one."

"Sweetie, unless you've been saving your entire salary for the last fifteen years then you're definitely going to need a mortgage." Penny smiled over at Amy, and nudged Leonard's shoulder.

"Not my entire salary, but at least seventy five per cent of it…and for twenty years not fifteen. My father left me a little when he passed away and I haven't touched it as yet."

"Sweetie…why haven't you moved out before now? I mean, this isn't exactly your dream house is it?" Penny looked around the slightly bleak apartment and then over at Amy.

"I thought I was happy enough…well, content at least. Now though, I feel it's finally time." Amy scratched a figure on a slip of paper and slid it across the table toward Leonard. "That's how much my father left me…"

"Jeez, Amy! That's a whole lot of zero's…what did your father do?" Leonard picked up the paper and glanced at the amount, his eyebrows raising up over his glasses when he saw the figure.

"It was more of what his father did, Daddy came from old money and invested it wisely. I continued his practise and it's done very well over the past twenty years. Add that to my salary and it's more than enough to get me a little piece of property somewhere."

"Okay, and the area?"

"Not in the city or town, but nothing too far away from the University either...I quite like seclusion so somewhere without too many neighbours, I'd also like a large garden or small piece of land."

"Alright….pass me your laptop and I'll start a quick search while you and Penny get on with the decorating, maybe we can see if anyone has an open house tomorrow and arrange for a viewing or two?" Leonard opened the laptop when Amy passed it over to him and was soon lost in the quagmire that was the internet. Penny and Amy left him to it as they bent back over to the decorations, picking out the little ornamental Santa's that Amy had spent many years collecting and setting them out along the top of Amy's bookcases. The apartment wasn't large enough for Amy to have a Christmas tree so she had a ceramic tree ornament that had a hollow to set a tea light inside. Amy placed it on the kitchen counter and placed a mulled wine tea light inside before lighting it; soon the warming scent drifted through the apartment.

Penny draped the evergreen tinsel along the top of Amy's bookcase and around the window frame, twisting strands of white twinkling lights around the tinsel as she went. Amy followed behind tying the silk poinsettia's at intervals along the length of the garland. Penny then walked over to the front door and re-hung the wreath on the hook, stepping back to admire the look and straightening up the large red, velvet bow at the centre.

Within an hour the whole apartment was covered in Christmas cheer, lights twinkled in the window and Penny had even threaded a small battery operated strand around the wreath. Amy dimmed the overhead light and the small living room was lit instead with the flicker of scented tea lights and the soft glow from the fairy lights in the tinsel and window. Amy made her famous choco-mint hot cocoa and poured the drinks into festive mugs brought out for the occasion. Leonard smiled as he looked up from the laptop and accepted the drink.

"There's a few nice houses on the market on the outskirts of Pasadena; this one has a pool and double garage and this other one doesn't have a pool but boasts an indoor theatre room." He handed Amy a few printed pages and she scanned over them with a slight from marring her brow.

"Hmm…I've never really seen the appeal in an outdoor pool and would rather have a home office than a theatre room."

"Then perhaps this one…?" Leonard grinned a little as he handed over a third option, saving the best for last in his humble opinion. The house in question was a split level white clapboard house that had a wrap-around porch set in two acres of land. It had five bedrooms in total, two on the ground floor, and two on the first floor and then the master bedroom in the old attic space with its own balcony that looked out over the hills. There was a separate wing to the lower level that housed a large area that could easily be a home office and library; the previous owners had used it as a work out area.

"It looks like everything I have ever wanted in a house, and it's perfectly situated; not too far out of town in case of an emergency but with no close neighbours either."

"And it's got plenty of room if you were to have a few overnight guests for the weekend." Penny looked over Amy's shoulder and read the description. "Oh look! There's even an empty stable block and a couple of meadows for grazing…you could get yourself a horse for company."

"Bestie…I've never ridden a horse in my life." Amy flicked the paper at Penny and ignored her mutters.

"I could teach you…" Penny tried a different tactic; "It's even got open fireplaces in the lounge and master bedroom…you've got to at least try and book a viewing Ames, what if it is your dream house?"

"There's been an open house already, but no formal offers have been made…the present owners are moving overseas and were hoping for a quick sale. From the comments on the realtor's site people have said that it was too far away from town and they hadn't realised just how much work it would take to take care of two acres of land. There's another set of bookings available tomorrow starting at ten….wanna head up there and take a look?" Leonard hovered over the keyboard, fingers poised to book them a viewing slot.

"Please, Amy, please?" Penny fluttered her eyelids at her friend, and pressed her hands together in a prayer like pose. "I'd really like to take a look with you; it sounds a bit like my grandparents place up in Omaha; if it is then it would be perfect for you."

"Okay, but I'm not making any promises…and no horses!" Amy agreed to take a look at the house and Leonard booked the viewing. "It's getting late, why don't the two of you take my bed and I'll take the couch? I changed the sheets this morning so everything is fresh."

"Sweetie, we can't take your bed…" Penny protested, and Amy grinned over as she tapped the couch.

"Bestie, where else were you going to sleep? My couch doesn't fold out and I don't have an armchair…please, take the bed, I'll be fine out here. I'll even take my quilt off the bed so the two of you can snuggle under Leonard's Star Trek quilt." Amy winked over at Leonard who grinned back, this was turning out to be the best sleep over ever!


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: If you're wondering what kind of house Amy will be looking at – imagine Hershel Greene's farm from Season two of The Walking Dead and that's pretty close. Being from the UK I've plumped for a completely fictional town so any mistakes are completely my own.**

The next morning, Leonard offered to drive as the three of them prepared to leave for the viewing of Amy's prospective dream house. He held up a finger as his phone vibrated, checking the screen he saw it was Howard.

"Hold on one sec…Howard, what's up?"

"Where on earth have you been all night? Sheldon called me around ten to tell me that Amy sent him a termination notice and he didn't hang up until nearly one, I didn't get a wink of sleep!"

"Howard, I'm sorry buddy…Didn't Amy or Penny tell you when they dropped off the present last night?"

"Yeah, but I didn't know that you'd chosen to skip town with Penny…"

"Uh…about that…we're at Amy's and have been all night, Penny didn't want to leave her alone after she sent the e-mail."

"Poor kid, is she okay? What are you up to now?" Howard sounded genuinely concerned for Amy and Leonard decided to tell him the truth.

"She's surprisingly good…she made a very brave decision to call things off with Sheldon as she realised that their dreams for the future were never going to match up…we're on our way out now to try and make at least one of her dreams a reality."

"Ooh…look, Leonard there's a pound near the house, maybe we can stop and take a look on the way back?" Amy interrupted Leonard's conversation as she showed him the route and he grinned back, nodding.

"Okay, make that two of her dreams."

"What are you talking about? From the sounds of things, the three of you had quite a party last night…" Howard's voice was muffled as he turned away from the phone to speak to Bernadette. "Hang on, I'm putting you on speaker…"

"Amy? Are you okay, honey?" Bernadette asked in her squeaky voice, Leonard handed the phone over to Amy and bent his head over the map.

"Bernie, I'm determined to be okay…I was a little worried that I might lose you all as friends once I broke things off with Sheldon…"

"Never happen, honey…you can't lose us that easily." Bernie interrupted and Howard seconded her remark.

"That's sweet, anyway we have to go…we've booked a viewing to look at a house outside of town and need to leave within the next few minutes or we'll lose our spot."

"A house? For Penny and Leonard?"

"No…for me…I decided it was time to make my own dreams come true rather than waiting for someone else. Leonard found me a house that matches my dream perfectly and we've got a viewing at ten."

"Text me the directions and we'll meet you there. Come on, Howie – move that sweet little tushie!" Bernadette gave an excited squeal and Amy handed the phone back to Leonard who hung up and then texted the details through to Bernadette. He, Amy and Penny hurried down to his car and soon they were on the road.

Meanwhile, back at Los Robles, Raj was dressed in his paintball outfit and staring at Sheldon who was sitting in his spot still wearing his pyjamas.

"What do you mean, everyone cancelled?" Raj placed his hands on his hips and frowned at the dishevelled looking Sheldon.

"Exactly that…Leonard is spending the day with Penny; Howard texted me a few minutes ago saying that something urgent has come up and he won't be able to make it. I don't feel like it – so you're on your own. Have fun with the gravel monkeys."

"Sheldon…" Raj whined and sat down on the armchair, his goggles dangling from his wrist. "You never miss the opportunity to boss people around at paintball…what's wrong?"

"Amy sent me a notice terminating our relationship last night, Leonard was mean to me and Howard kept yawning when I called him in distress last night…I'm very tired and upset and I don't want to play some silly game today…is that enough reason for you?" Sheldon rubbed his tired eyes with the back of his hand, he hadn't shaved that morning either and his jaw was shadowed with his beard.

"I'm sorry, dude I had no idea…" Raj hadn't questioned Amy too deeply the previous evening, he had been too overwhelmed by her gift of the quilt to question her motives. He realised now that Amy breaking things off with Sheldon was the catalyst she needed to be able to give the quilts away. "What are you going to do?"

"Not accept it for one, she has three business days to get the certified copy to me; I'm just not going to sign it. Something must have happened to make her change her mind about us…the other night I asked her point blank whether she was planning to break up with me and she said no. What could have changed her mind so suddenly?"

"Well, you weren't exactly respectful of her Christmas beliefs…Amy loves everything about Christmas, it's very special to her as it reminds her of her father – you know she lost him when she was quite young?"

"Yes, while she was still in her teens. She doesn't like to talk about him much, it makes her too sad." Sheldon nodded, it was something that they had in common as he too, had lost his father at a young age.

"Well, her father loved Christmas and it was one of the things they did together. Amy's mother was a bit like yourself in the fact that she didn't really celebrate but Amy told me that she and her Dad would decorate the whole house together and spend hours making up little gift baskets for the neighbourhood." Raj smiled wistfully as he remembered the conversations around the Christmas tree the previous year, while Sheldon was out of town.

"Oh…she never said, I never realised just how much it meant to her otherwise I wouldn't have made such a fuss. I tried calling her last night but her phone was switched off and there was no reply at her apartment again this morning. I'm a little worried about her, Raj…do you think she's okay?"

"Why don't I try ringing Penny? If anyone has heard from Amy, it will be her."

"Please." Sheldon nodded and rose up to make some tea. "I need some chamomile tea, can I get you anything, Raj?"

"No thank you, I'm fine." Raj dialled Penny's number and waited for it to connect. "Penny? It's Raj…I'm over at Sheldon's and he's very worried about Amy. Have you heard from her at all? Oh, you have? You're where exactly? Oh, sounds lovely…Yes, okay…thanks, bye." Raj hung up with a bemused expression on his face. He glanced over at Sheldon and pondered over how much to tell the other man. "Penny said that she's heard from Amy and she appears to be fine. They popped in to see her on their way out last night and she was a little upset at first but cheered up a little by the time they left. Amy's out today which is why she didn't answer her phone, she's actually on a little trip to the country with Leonard and Penny as we speak."

"A little trip?" Sheldon whirled around, dripping teabag poised on the edge of a spoon, flabbergasted at the news.

"Yes, Penny said Amy likes to look at houses whenever she's feeling a little low; so they've booked a viewing at a house up in the hills. It sounds very nice, but expensive too."

"Oh…" Sheldon said quietly, he hadn't thought about the possibility of Amy moving out of the area, and now he was concerned that she really meant everything she had said in her e-mail. "She's really left me, hasn't she Raj? It's not something I can ignore, or hope that will just go away…how can I get her back?"

"Do you really want her back or is it just your ego talking, Sheldon?"

"I…I love her." Sheldon stated quietly, falling down hard onto a kitchen stool; he blinked up at Raj. "I never realised it until now, but I really love her." Raj clapped loudly and walked over to stand over Sheldon.

"That's the first truly sensible thing I've ever heard you say. Now, go and get yourself showered and changed while I head home to change myself. We're going shopping and I don't want to hear a word of complaint from you."

"Okay." Sheldon nodded slowly and slipped off the stool. "What are we shopping for?"

"Christmas, that's all you need to know. Now, scoot!" Raj pushed Sheldon down the corridor and practically skipped out of the apartment, pulling his phone out of his pocket to send out a blanket text to the whole group.

**Sheldon wants Amy back – he said he loves her! What should I do? Raj**

**OMG! Meeting Amy at viewing…will try to talk with Penny later…HW**

**Nothing! Too little, too late… Penny**

**Aww, that's so sweet…but Amy needs a real man not a Sheldon! BW**

The only person that didn't reply was Leonard, but Raj knew that he was driving to the viewing and would most likely wait until he was alone to reply.


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Another couple of Amy centric chapters as she views her 'dream house'; I'm planning this to be an eventual Shamy fic but Sheldon needs to put some effort into winning her back, so it won't be for a while yet…**

Leonard made one last turn and started driving along a narrow driveway edged with bushy evergreens.

"Oh sweetie…imagine what these would look light with ropes of Christmas lights strung in between them." Penny gazed out of the window and then looked at Amy who had her nose pressed against the glass like an excited child.

"I'm thinking of those little bags of sand, with candles lining the drive on Christmas Eve lighting the way for anyone coming over for eggnog and party games."

"Sounds nice…" Leonard glanced back at Amy in the rear view mirror and reached over to clasp Penny's hand. She gave him a gentle squeeze in return and half turned in her seat to look back at Amy as they drew to a halt near the front door.

"What do you think?"

"I'm seeing the door painted red with shiny brass handles; there's twin pots flanking the door with a holly bush draped in lights and ribbons…" Amy slowly opened her eyes and blinked, for a second it seemed as if there really was a bright red door in front of her, rather than the stark unrelieved black of the existing door. "I want a porch swing and matching wooden rockers…the steps would need replacing…I don't like the tiled effect, I'm thinking white wood to match the rest of the house."

"I think she likes it." Penny whispered to Leonard and he smiled back over at his fiancée.

"What's not to like? It's perfect in almost every detail, sure it needs a little work to make it into her dream home but it's a pretty good start. Amy, you want to go inside and have a look around?" Leonard saw the realtor standing on the porch, clipboard in hand and glanced back at Amy.

"I do, but I'm already pretty certain that this is my house." Amy swung the door open, and smoothed down her skirt as she stepped out of the car. She strode confidently up to the porch and held out her hand. "Mr Greenson, I'm Doctor Fowler…tell me about the house."

"Doctor Fowler, a pleasure…" The realtor accepted her hand and returned her firm handshake. "The house is a 1930's farmhouse, the original land was subdivided back in the late sixties; resulting in three separate plots of two acres each. The property line for this particular house goes down to the creek at the back of the house and extends to the tree line at the side and front of the house. There's a small three stall stable block on the left as you entered the property and there are a number of small outbuildings; one houses an emergency back-up generator and there are a few more that were once used to store grain and farm equipment." The realtor marked the property lines on an aerial map and handed it across for Amy to look over, she glanced at it before handing it over to Leonard.

"Can we take a look inside now please?"

"Certainly Doctor Fowler, the current owners have already vacated the property so it gives you a good idea of the spaciousness of the rooms…here we have the entrance hall, note the black and white checkerboard effect of the tiles – imported marble." Amy frowned at the stark hallway, everything was white – the walls, the ceiling and it was very stark and cold looking. "There were large double doors leading to the living area, and then another set at the end of the hallway going through to the side wing but the owners had them removed to make it one large living space."

"Hmm…what kind of doors were they?" Amy asked, hating the echoing effect from where everything was open plan…it didn't seem to fit with the exterior of the house at all making everything appear overly large and ornate.

"Solid oak, I think they have them stored in one of the outbuildings along with the original fire surrounds…isn't this one splendid?" The cocky realtor strode over to the imposing white marble surround and caressed the ornate carvings. "More imported marble here and in the master bedroom…gorgeous isn't it?"

"Hmm." Amy was deliberately non-committal as she strolled through the living room, inspecting the large panelled windows, already imagining them softened with billowing drapes. She poked her head through the swinging door to the kitchen and mud room, noticing that the black and white theme continued through to there as well. The only thing that she wouldn't change was the wooden panelled study in the side wing, this appealed to her on so many levels and she could already see her large desk inherited from her Grandfather sitting in front of the bay window. Amy followed the realtor through to the ground floor bedrooms, giving them only a cursory glance and wrinkling her nose up at Penny who gagged at the heavily floral wallpaper in each of the rooms. Leonard stifled a grin as he snapped photos of each room with his phone, making careful notes of the original features whenever Amy questioned their whereabouts.

They followed the realtor up the winding staircase and glanced into the bedrooms on the first floor. "Standard two bed, two bath set up…but you could easily have a small living area up on the landing as well…" The realtor droned on and Amy closed her eyes for a second, imagining a small sectional sofa against the wall with a low bookcase and soft lamp. Penny squeezed her hand and Amy opened her eyes to see the realtor urging them to follow him up to the master suite.

"Oh my!" Amy gasped as they turned the corner and the full suite was revealed. Large French doors opened onto a small balcony, with a set of steps leading down to ground level.

"The bathroom is through there, and to your right is a dressing room cum sitting room. I'll leave you to take a look around and I'll be downstairs should you have any further questions." The realtor accepted Amy's smile of thanks and left the three of them staring out of the French doors.

"The view is amazing…you can't see another house for miles, imagine what that's going to look like when it snows."

"Don't forget we're still in California, sweetie." Penny chided gently and Leonard grinned over at her.

"Only just, this area has been known to have a light dusting every couple of years…it can get pretty chilly up in the hills in the middle of winter. Amy, what do you think?"

"It will take a lot of work to make it into something I'd feel comfortable living in."

"Yeuch, those bedrooms downstairs!"

"It was more the clinical feel of the whole downstairs, I hate the tiles and all of that marble."

"How would you have it, Amy?" Leonard asked gently, already thinking he knew what she was thinking.

"I'd have dark wood flooring throughout the ground floor, I'd strip the paint back on the handrail to match. I'd also separate the rooms again, trying to match the original oak doors…and I'd want that horrible marble removed from the fireplace!" Amy leant against the frame of the French doors and sighed heavily. "It would take a lot of time and effort to make this mausoleum feel like a home again."

"Sweetie, if you really want this; anything is possible." Penny rubbed a hand against Amy's shoulder and Leonard moved to stand in front of them both.

"Amy, I've got more than four weeks leave saved up that I wasn't going to use this year…I'm not any good at delicate or intricate work but I can swing a hammer with the best of them, if you want my help – I'm in."

"Me too, I can only promise you free labour at the weekends – but I'd love to help you transform this place.

"Us too." Bernadette and Howard had made their way up the stairs and overheard Leonard offering to give up his leave in order to help Amy. "What do you say, kid? Are you buying a house today or what?"

"Maestro…open the envelope please." Amy handed over the sealed envelope containing the list price to Leonard who slid his finger under the flap.

"It's not that bad." He said, showing the figure to Amy. "It's a hefty sum of money to lay down, considering what you'd have to spend on top of that…but I kind of expected it to be a little more."

"They've had very little interest so far, and have already moved out…maybe they've lowered the original asking price in hopes of making a swift sale?" Amy plucked the envelope out of Leonard's hand and stood tapping it against her palm. "Howard, how much would you estimate I would need to set aside to make it feel more comfortable? I can live with the kitchen for now, so just concentrate on the hallway and main living area."

"I don't know, fifteen thousand maybe? More if you can't lay your hands on the original doors and fireplaces."

"Excuse me for a moment, please." Amy left the room, walking swiftly down the staircase to the ground floor until she saw the realtor pacing on the front porch. "Mr Greenson?"

"Doctor Fowler…seen enough?"

"More than enough thank you. I'd like you to make an offer to the owners on my behalf please. I am prepared to pay the full asking price if they can assure me that I can start moving in immediately."

"I don't know…it usually takes a little time for escrow to clear."

"Mr Greenson, I am a cash buyer and can arrange for a certified cheque to be in their hands first thing tomorrow morning…if they can assure me that I can move in as soon as the money hits their bank."

"I'll make the call, excuse me for a moment?"

"Certainly." Amy wandered back inside and sat on the bottom stair waiting for the realtor to speak to the owners. She could see him pacing up and down the veranda through the glass panels either side of the front door and he soon strode back inside, holding out his hand.

"You have yourself a house, Doctor Fowler. My clients were so appreciative that they have instructed me to let you have the keys today if you so wish. All I would need you to do is follow me back to my office and get some of the paperwork out of the way, and then bring in the cheque tomorrow." Amy pumped his hand up and down, smiling with glee.

"Thank you."

"No problem, I have to say this house has been a blot on my books for many a long month, but you've just made it one of the easiest and fastest sale I've ever completed. What was it that you particularly liked – was it the marble?"

"Lord no! That's all coming up, the floors, the fireplaces – everything! I'm having wooden flooring and replacing the original oak doors and fireplaces, I want the house to feel warm and inviting…not some museum piece."

"I see, well I can put you in touch with the company that installed the marble fireplaces; they may be interested in taking them off your hands again."

"Thank you that would be great. Oh, I've left my friends upstairs…please excuse me for a second while I fetch them downstairs." Amy ran back up to the master bedroom and burst through the doorway. "I've done it! I can start moving in today…I just need to go over to the realtor office and get a start on the paperwork and then drop a cashier's check in first thing tomorrow. They've agreed to let me have a key today!"

"Oh my God! You own a house!" Penny started jumping up and down, clapping her hands together and ran over to hug Amy. "I'm so proud of you, Ames! You really did it!"

"I know! Come on, let's go get my keys." Amy clung onto Penny's hand and smiled around the room. "I can't thank you all enough for sharing this day with me…I own a house!"

"I'll call Siebert and book some time off starting tomorrow." Leonard crossed over to the doorway and dialled the president of the university. "Hi, President Siebert, I'm sorry for contacting you on a Sunday but I'd like to take a few weeks leave starting tomorrow…returning after the New Year if that's possible…thank you, sir, I appreciate it. Oh, and Howard Wolowitz wants to know if he can book two weeks leave starting tomorrow as well, yes sir, I'll tell him…Sorry, oh, we're helping Doctor Fowler restore her newly purchased farmhouse. Uh-huh, yes, I'll be sure to pass that onto her…okay, goodbye." Leonard snapped the phone shut, and turned to face his friends. "Howard, Siebert said next time call him yourself; but yes, you can have two weeks off. Amy, I'm now off until the New Year so do with me what you will…Oh, and Siebert said congratulations and yes, you can have as much time off as you'd like to request – just drop him a line and he'll clear it with your Department head in the morning."  
>"Thanks, Leonard. Can you drive me over to the realtor's office and then drop me back at my place?"<p>

"Sure, we're going that way anyway; all of our stuff is still at your place, remember? Why don't you give your keys to Penny – I'll drive you over to the realtor's office and if you don't mind Penny driving your car, she can head over to your place with Bernadette and Howard and start packing up things that you can store in one of the downstairs bedrooms. By the time we've finished with the paperwork we can meet back here in a few hours and discuss what needs to be done and in what order."

"Ooh, we could have a grown up sleepover in a real house…" Penny's face lit up with excitement and she glanced over at Amy for approval.

"Sure, that sounds great. Could you grab a couple of pads and pens from the top desk drawer? You'll find a couple of spare quilts in the trunk at the bottom of my bed, grab whatever you feel like bringing and we'll pick up some takeout on the way back."

"This is so exciting!" Bernadette squealed, "Howie, we can see how things work for when we've saved up enough for a real house…"

"To the nerd mobile!" Leonard cried and everyone ran for the staircase, nearly crashing into the realtor who had come up to see what was keeping Amy so long.

"Ah, Doctor Fowler…are you ready to follow me back to my office now?"

"Certainly Mr Greenstone…ooh, Penny my keys!" Amy pulled her keys out of her purse and tossed them over to her friend as they all trooped back down the stairs and waited on the porch while the realtor carefully locked the front doors and slipped the key back into his pocket. Penny slipped into the back seat of Bernadette's car as Bernadette turned down the drive and headed toward Glendale while Leonard and Amy followed the realtor into downtown Pasadena.


	11. Chapter 11

"Sheldon, come on…choosing whether to go clear or multi-coloured shouldn't be that hard a decision; we've been looking at these Christmas lights for over an hour now!" Raj checked his watch and frowned at Sheldon.

"Raj, it's a big decision to make – from your description of Amy's apartment the other night, she clearly prefers clear lights, but I don't know whether to try something different in order to show her that I've made an effort." Sheldon picked up two different boxes of lights and re-read the description. "Do we need multi-function chaser lights, or ones that play a dazzling array of carols?"

"No, they would drive you potty within an hour; always go for the static indoor option. Sheldon, come on…if you can't choose then simply take both; one of us will always take the other box off your hands." Raj was losing patience with his friend, now knowing why Leonard refused to take Sheldon shopping; it was as if Sheldon got overwhelmed with the multiple choices on offer and simply got stuck. Their trolley was almost empty and they had been in the warehouse nearly all day; Sheldon refused to consider a live Christmas tree and opted for a six foot faux pine with 'real' pinecones and that was as far as they got. "Okay, that's it for the lights. What type of decorations do you want? Before you ask, no you can't have Star Wars or Star Trek ornaments on a traditional Christmas tree…"

"Oh…Meemaw uses red and gold; Missy likes blue and silver…what does Amy like?"

"Um…she only had a little ceramic tree that contained a little tea light, but her wreath had tartan ribbons and cinnamon sticks." Raj screwed up his nose as he tried to picture the wreath hanging on Amy's front door.

"Hmm…what about these?" Sheldon picked up a box of little nutcrackers and some tartan bows. "We could string popcorn and cranberries to make a garland to drape over the branches. Ooh…little wooden trains…a couple of sleds…aw, some cute little Disney characters dressed up in Christmas outfits…" Sheldon grabbed one of everything and tossed it in the trolley.

"Okay, so we're going for a Toyland tree – I can work with that." Raj nodded and steered Sheldon away from the decorations and toward the cash register. "Come on, Sheldon – let's pay for these and we can head back to set everything up."

"Have you heard anything back from Leonard or Penny – did they say how Amy was?" Sheldon asked casually as they waited in line at the check-out.

"Hmm…no, just that call from earlier saying they were driving around looking at houses this morning." Raj looked up from where he was examining a bag of Christmas pot-pourri, trying to judge the smell through the plastic.

"Oh…" Sheldon glanced over at Raj as he pulled his wallet out to pay for the decorations, "No mention of whether they'd be coming back in time for dinner this evening?"

"No, sorry they didn't say. Emily's working all day today and won't be back until late, why don't I come back with you and help set up the tree? We'll pick up takeaway later if they're still not back if you like." Raj placed the pot pourri back on the shelf and started to push the trolley toward the exit as Sheldon slid his credit card back into his wallet. Sheldon didn't respond to the offer, he just followed Raj silently back to the car and started to load the trunk.

"Sheldon? Do you me to help you or not?" Raj whirled his keychain around his finger as he looked over the roof of his car to where Sheldon was standing morosely with his hand on the door.

"Okay." Sheldon finally accepted Raj's offer and folded himself into the passenger seat of the car. Raj got in and started the engine, he glanced over at his quiet passenger.

"It's going to be alright, Sheldon; Amy will see that you've made an effort and her little heart will just melt."

"I hope you're right, Raj, I really am." Sheldon sat back in his seat and Raj pulled out of the parking lot, heading back to Los Robles with a trunk full of Christmas.

Amy scrawled her signature on the last page of the contract and slid it over the desk where the realtor photocopied the paperwork before placing one copy in a folder for filing with the county clerk and the other copy he handed back over to Amy.

"That's the last of it Doctor Fowler, as soon as we receive the cashier's cheque we can get the paperwork processed. As we discussed earlier, the current owners are satisfied with your background check and are happy for you to have the keys today." Mr Greenstone passed the heavy set of keys across, each carefully labelled with details of the door it related to. "Oh, and here are the details for the firm that supplied the marble fireplaces and surrounds; they may be able to remove them in their entirety and purchase them back from you."

"Thank you," Amy replied as she slid the card into the envelope with copies of the paperwork.

"You'll receive certified copies of your deeds within sixty days, we recommend to all of our clients that these are secured safely."

"I have a safety deposit box at my bank, I can store my deeds there when they come through."

"Excellent, well..." Mr Greenstone rose up from the table and held out his hand to Amy. "It was a pleasure doing business with you Doctor Fowler."

"Thank you, I appreciate everything that you've done for me today, Mr Greenstone. I've heard many horror stories about purchasing your first home, but you've made the experience a delight."

"My pleasure." They shook hands briefly and then Amy walked out of the office with a little skip in her step, Leonard looked up from where he was glancing through a magazine in the lobby and saw Amy's grinning face as she held up the bunch of keys in her hand.

"Leonard! Look…I have my keys!"

"That's great, Amy. Are you ready to head back to your place now, or did you want to make that stop at the pound?"

"Ooh, I'd forgotten about that…" Amy's bright smile dimmed a little as she thought it over for a second. "Perhaps it would be better if I left that for another time. I think I'll wait until the renovations are complete, I wouldn't want the poor thing to get distressed with all of the noise and fuss." Leonard held open the door for Amy to step through and patted her arm consolingly.

"That's probably a good idea, Amy. There's always plenty of dogs to choose from, we'll go over in a couple of weeks when things are a bit more settled."

"I guess so..." Amy was a little glum and Leonard jostled her shoulder playfully.

"Hey! Don't look so glum, you've got yourself a brand new house! Think of all the great things that we're gonna do over the next couple of weeks…ripping up those tiles, getting rid of those horrible fireplaces…"

"Yeah…let's get started!" Amy cheered up a little and Leonard gave her arm a little squeeze.

"That's better, come on; Penny should be heading back by now, if we get a move on we can be sitting on your new front porch when they arrive." They both walked a little quicker toward Leonard's car and headed back up into the hills.


	12. Chapter 12

Sheldon one made final adjustment to his newly acquired Christmas tree and stood back to scan his eyes over the ornamentation.

"How does that look, Raj?" He called over his shoulder to where Raj was cutting out a batch of sugar cookies in the kitchen, having followed Amy's recipe to the letter.

"Very nicely done, Sheldon." Raj replied, already liking the simple manner in which Sheldon had decorated the tree. There were tiny nutcrackers and wooden trains, tartan bows and popcorn garlands strung around the branches, with the soft glow of the clear lights glinting through the heavy branches. Sheldon hated the glittery tinsel that Leonard usually insisted on draping with a heavy hand and had gone for a more natural looking tree, the plan was to hang colourful candy canes and sugar cookies on the tree at a later date but for now it was nearly perfect.

"Thank you for helping me with all of this, Raj; I couldn't have done it without you."

"Sheldon, I've loved every minute of it; and I'm sure that once Amy sees the effort you have gone too, she will love it just as much."

"I had an idea when we were out shopping and I wondered whether you could help me with that as well." Sheldon fiddled with the placement of one of the toy trains and there was a moment of silence.

"Okay…are you going to tell me what it is then?" Raj slid the tray of cookies into the oven, and after wiping his hands crossed over to sit in the armchair looking over at Sheldon expectantly.

"Oh, yes of course." Sheldon gave a breathy little laugh and bent down to extract something from his messenger bag. He held the items in his hand for a moment before handing them over to Raj with a slight shrug. "You might think it's a little too much…"

"It's a card and a ceramic ornament…" Raj glanced over the Christmas card and then turned the small ornament over in his hands.

"And there was me thinking that you were the Christmas guru around here." Sheldon tapped the card with one lean index finger. "That's a partridge in a pear tree, and those are two Turtle doves…I want to give Amy the Twelve Days of Christmas!" A dawning light of understanding appeared in Raj's eyes and he started to grin.

"Sheldon, I take it all back…you really are a genius! You've gone from being almost Grinch-like to Santa Claus in a single day…this is amazing and I think that Amy will really love it!"

"So, you'll help me then? I've got a few ideas for most of the days; ballet tickets for the ladies dancing and a set of little drummer boy decorations but some of those days are proving a little difficult."

"Count me in! Let's see, you could go for jewellery for the five gold rings; a cd of music from Swan Lake – or a copy of 'The Black Swan' DVD…"

"No, Amy and I saw that recently and she found it a little disturbing…what about a crystal ornament from Swarovski in the shape of a swan or maybe something from a company with a swan as their logo?"

"Mmm, intriguing; it would be like a set of mystery items that she would have to figure out the meaning…"

"I don't want them to be so obscure that she misses the message though." Sheldon was anxious that Raj would suddenly go into 'Scavenger Hunt' mode and he didn't want that at all.

"Sheldon, don't worry; I'm sure between the two of us we can think of things that would link into the song but at the same time be a little different." Raj pulled Sheldon's laptop over from the coffee table and soon the two men were deep into discussion about how Sheldon could present all twelve days to Amy.

Pulling up to a stop in front of Amy's porch, Leonard parked the car and nudged his companion.

"Hey, look…see anything different?"

"Oh! It's just like I imagined…" Amy blinked back tears and scrambled out of the car, running over to the steps and staring at the two pots that were now flanking her front door. They both contained a small holly tree that had bright red bows with long streamers blowing gently in the breeze. There was another red bow tied around the brass door handle and Amy glanced around to see Bernadette, Penny and Howard grinning from the top of the porch, Howard popped the cork on a bottle of pink champagne and Penny rushed over to enfold Amy in a warm hug.

"Ames, I'm so proud of you…this is a big step and I just want you to know that I love you very much."

"Love you, too, bestie…and thank you all for being here for me today." Amy returned Penny's hug and then pulled back slightly to give everyone a watery smile. Penny threaded her arm through Amy's and pulled her up onto the steps.

"Go on sweetie…open the door!"

"Yeah, go on Amy…let us in, it's getting chilly out here!" Bernadette gave an exaggerated shiver and bounced up and down in excitement.

"Oh, the key!" Amy whirled around, in all of the excitement she'd left the heavy bunch of keys in the car, and Leonard grinned as he held them out to her.

"I thought you'd remember eventually, here you go, Amy." Amy accepted the keys and taking a deep breath, inserted the heavy brass key into the lock and gave it a turn. Just before she stepped over the threshold, her hand slipped down to grasp Penny's hand firmly and Penny gave it a little squeeze before dropping it.

"Go on, sweetie…you can do this." Penny gave Amy a little nudge and stepped back slightly, allowing her friend to walk into her new house by herself. Amy stepped across the threshold and closed the door behind her, taking a few seconds to absorb the heady feeling that swept over her as she breathed slowly in and out. Suddenly, the chimes of the doorbell echoed through the empty marble hall and Amy whirled around to pull the heavy front door open again.

"Hello…and welcome to my home." She beamed at her friends and there was a flurry of activity as everyone started jostling at one another, trying to get through the doorway first.

"It's so big." Penny whispered slowly as she barged her way through, turning around in a circle as she gazed around the entry hall. "It didn't seem so large when we were here earlier, but it's huge now…and a little on the bleak side."

"Urgh, it's positively dreadful Amy, and cold too." Bernadette's nose wrinkled up at the stark emptiness of the hallway. "Howie, why don't you and Leonard start bringing in the stuff from the car? I think we're gonna need those quilts sooner rather than later."

"Can we have a moment to enjoy the 'new house' feeling first? You haven't even let us step inside yet." Howard groused lightly and Bernadette gave him a little peck on the cheek.

"Sorry, Howie…" She stepped further into the hallway, crossing over to stand at Amy's side and then both Howard and Leonard entered properly, gazing around the hall and peering into the open living room.

"Hmm, it will feel cosier once we get those doors rehung." Howard mused as he shared a brief glance at Leonard, who nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, that will go a long way to stop most of the heat escaping too. Anyone ever hung a door before?" Leonard replied glancing at the girls, and lingering on Penny.

"Why does everyone keep looking at me like that?" She folded her arms across her chest before sighing loudly, "Okay, yes I've helped my dad with a few DIY things around the house. Amy, hand me over that kick ass set of keys and I'll take a look in the barn to see whether the original doors are still in there. Did anyone think to bring any tools with them?"

"Yeah, I put my tool chest in the car just in case." Howard jerked his head toward Bernadette's car and Penny pointed outside.

"Okay, the two of you start unpacking the cars and I'll head over to the barn."

"I'm gonna take a walk through the rest of the house with Amy, Howie and I missed the downstairs tour earlier and I want to see everything!" Bernadette tugged on Amy's arm and started leading her down the hallway to the back of the house. Amy just remembered to toss the keychain over to Penny before Bernadette dragged her away.

Fifteen minutes later, the guys had emptied out both of the cars and were heading toward the barn from which Penny had yet to emerge.

"Do you think she's alright in there?" Leonard asked as they approached the heavy wooden doors.

"Sure, she's probably already found the original oak doors and is sanding them down or something." Howard joked as they walked into the dim and dusty barn. "Oh God…it's like Aladdin's cave in here!" Both men gaped at the sight of the furniture packed along the sides of the barn, leaving only a narrow walkway to navigate through.

"Penny? Are you in here?" Leonard called out, unable to see his fiancée through the mess.

"Leonard? Back here!" Penny called out from near the back, they started to wend their way toward her, Howard scanning the furniture for anything of interest. Leonard found Penny sitting in an old chunky rocking chair and grinning all over her dusty face.

"Isn't this great? Amy's gonna freak out when she sees all of this… There's two of these rocking chairs, a huge kitchen table and eight chairs over there…I've found the original oak doors, the fire surrounds are propped against the wall there…it's like a treasure trove."

"Yeah, I saw a couple of heavy dressers near the front…they'd look great in the living room or kitchen, it's just the kind of antique farmhouse look that Amy was going for." Leonard waved over to the front of the barn and set himself gingerly down in the second rocker. "Oh, this really is comfortable, it's not one of those delicate rockers that my grandma had…this is nice and sturdy." He rocked to and fro, clasping the wide wooden arms with his fingers. "Howard, run up to the house and ask Amy to come down here before it gets too dark. She'll have a field day rummaging through all of this stuff, the previous owners must have just moved it all out here when they modernised the original house."

"Great idea, I saw a heavy wooden bedframe over in the corner; I wouldn't be surprised if it was originally from the old Master suite…looks like a sleigh bed with a really nice carved baseboard." Howard waved over to the dim corner and then jogged back up to the, telling Amy only that they'd found something that they thought she ought to see.

"Howard, Amy was just about to take me through her plans for the living room…can't it wait?" Bernadette showed a little of her honey badger side and Howard just grinned over at the pair.

"Trust me, you're gonna love what Penny's found in the barn." He grabbed Amy's hand and started pulling her toward the front door with Bernadette giggling behind them. "Now, close your eyes for a second, Amy." Howard wrapped his hand over Amy's eyes to make sure that she didn't sneak a peek, and motioned for Bernadette to pull open the barn door. Even Bernadette gasped at the sight of so many of the original features of the house carelessly stacked up to the rafters.

"Oh, Amy!"

"What? Howard, take your hand away, I really want to see this."

"Okay, now turn around slowly and try to tell me that this isn't the most amazing thing you've ever seen." Howard removed his hands and Amy blinked a little as she tried to restore her vision, she turned in a small circle and when she reached the sight of Penny and Leonard rocking side by side and clasping hands; tears formed behind her eyes and she had to turn away before she collapsed into a quivering heap. Penny flew out of the chair so fast that it nearly tipped backwards, and was by Amy's side in an instant.

"Sweetie, what's wrong? Don't you like them?" Penny rubbed Amy's arm and tried to do anything to make it better. Amy turned to face her best friend and wiped away a fallen tear as she tried to smile back.

"It just looked so perfect…I could almost see the two of you in thirty years' time…grey haired and holding hands as you rocked together by the open fire."

"And that made you sad? Why?"

"Because that's what I wanted with Sheldon…" Amy replied quietly and Penny gave her a sad smile, pulling her into a warm comforting hug.

"Sweetie…"

"It's okay, Penny. I'm going to be alright…I'm determined to be alright." Amy pulled back a little and walked over to examine the rocking chairs a little closer, running her hand along the exquisite carvings etched into the back. "These really are gorgeous."

"Aren't they?" Leonard continued to rock, caressing the arms that were careworn with time. "And the great news is…there's another two over here!" Howard called out from somewhere over to the left where he and Bernadette had been rummaging.

"What else have you found?" Amy glanced around the barn, noticing the doors propped up against the side and her gaze fell upon a lovely pie-crust table that she immediately earmarked for the living room.

"There's a couple of nice dressers over here that would look great in either the living room or kitchen, they're similar to a Welsh dresser but a little chunkier." Leonard patted the arm of his rocker once more in farewell, before rising to his feet and crossing over to join Amy's side. He pointed out the two dresser units and then waved over to the right. "We came across the fire surrounds over there, they look intact but pretty hefty pieces of furniture; so we may need to call in reinforcements to get them up to the house."

"Ooh, I just found a couple of wardrobes over here!" Bernadette called out, "Anyone fancy a trip to Narnia? They have amazingly detailed carvings on the doors and I think they'd look great in the Master."

"This is just too much…it's like everything I need has been stored in here just waiting for me to come and find it…it's a little overwhelming." Amy sat down in on a wooden kitchen chair and looked around the barn, feeling a little dazed. Bernadette patted her arm and hummed sympathetically.

"Well, you don't have to make any decisions right now. How about we start with the living room doors? Howard will help Penny rehang them and we'll light the fire before we order some takeout. Does that sound good?"

"Thank you, Bernie…that sounds perfect." Amy smiled gratefully at the diminutive biochemist, and rose to her feet. "Did anyone see whether there were more than one set of doors?"

"Yup, both sets are stacked over by the doors. Leonard, do you want to grab a door with Howard and I'll get the other one with Amy?" Penny glanced over at the guys who were grimacing at the thought of shifting the heavy doors, "There's no need for that look, Howard! They're not that heavy." Demonstrating, Penny lifted one end of a single oak door and Amy took the other, they started walking out of the barn without even a hitch in their breath. Howard picked up another door edge and looked pointedly at Leonard, who reluctantly took hold of the other end. Bernadette stacked a couple of the sturdy kitchen chairs together and followed them out of the door, carrying the chairs up the path to the house. By the time Leonard and Howard reached the house, Penny and Amy were already lifting their door into place onto the heavy hinges; Amy holding it steady as Penny screwed them in place.

"Leonard, you can stay and hold this half in place for me while Amy and Howard go back and get the other set." Penny suggested over her shoulder as she grabbed the end of the door that Howard was holding.

"Yes, boss." Leonard muttered under his breath and Penny waved the battery operated screwdriver over at him.

"And don't you forget it!" Everyone chuckled at her quick retort before Howard and Amy hustled back down to the barn to fetch another door for setting in place at the end of the hall.

"I'll order dinner…pizza okay for everyone?" Bernadette sat down on one of the kitchen chairs that she carried up from the barn and pulled out her phone. "Hey, four bars! I don't even get that kind of signal strength in our apartment." Penny grinned at her comment and took the weight of the door from Leonard.

"Sweetie, just hold it steady while I set it on the hinges…then you can sort through some of the stuff that I loaded up from Amy's apartment."

"Thank you. Did I ever tell you how much I love you?" Leonard sighed as he obeyed Penny's directions, already feeling the burn in his underused muscles.

"Yup, but I don't mind hearing it again." Penny blew her fiancé a kiss as she placed the last screw in place and then closed the heavy doors, checking that they were hanging straight and met perfectly in the middle. "There, that's one set of doors finished. It looks better already, doesn't it?"

"It really does…I'm gonna start laying the fire." Leonard admired the doors and thought that the living room already had a different feel from when they had first walked in. Amy and Howard came back in with the third door and carried it down to the end of the hallway, leaning it up against the wall.

"I can't believe how much better it's starting to look; and all we've done is re-hung the doors." Amy walked back down the hallway and ran her hand over the dark oak of the double doors. She opened the left door and peered around the opening, watching as Leonard carefully coaxed the fire to life.

"Don't worry, Ames…I checked the flue was open and that there wasn't anything blocking the chimney before he started." Penny whispered quietly to Amy as she saw where her friend's eyes rested.

"I wasn't worried." Amy denied, and then grinned a little sheepishly, "Okay, so I was worried a little…" Both ladies giggled softly and Penny pushed Amy playfully out into the hallway.

"Go on, go and get the last door and I'll get Bernie to help me with this one; by the time you get back it will feel completely toasty warm."

"Thanks, Penny."

"I'm only glad that these Nebraska hands were useful for something!" Penny grinned as she whirled the screwdriver in her hand, imitating a gunslinger from the Wild West. Amy and Howard were still laughing as they headed out of the front door and back down to the barn.


	13. Chapter 13

Sheldon sighed heavily as he glanced at the clock, he hadn't heard any movement from across the hallway and assumed that Leonard and Penny were still with Amy. Raj looked at his watch and then over at Sheldon.

"I'm going to take off now, Sheldon. Emily's managed to get away early and wants to go see a movie."

"Oh, I see…" Sheldon looked despondent at the fact that all of his friends had deserted him but managed a weak smile for his friend. "Well, thank you for today Raj."

"No problem…I'll e-mail you with any ideas that I come up with for the rest of the twelve days. Would you like me to drop the first card off at Amy's on my way home?" Raj offered, not only because he truly wished for everything to work out between his two friends; but he was also more than a little curious about what had made Howard and Bernadette want to spend the complete day with Amy, Leonard and Penny.

"Again, thank you." Sheldon handed over the card depicting the partridge roosting in a pear tree to Raj and the astrophysicist left Los Robles. Sheldon slumped back against his spot on the couch and stared sightlessly at the tree lights until they became a blurry haze; reflecting on whether his romance with Amy was ever going to get back on track or was it just a case of too little, too late. He in the empty apartment straining his ears for any sounds drifting over from the hallway until it was past his bedtime, and then slowly flicked off the tree lights and walked down the hallway to his bedroom, closing the door quietly behind him.

Twenty minutes away off the I-210 W there was a bit more of a party atmosphere, Penny and Leonard had dragged all four of the rocking chairs up to the house and had set them in a semi-circle around the roaring fire. Bernadette and Howard were cuddled up in a sleeping bag while Amy, Penny and Leonard were curled up in three of the four chairs, each with a colourful quilt draped over their laps. Leonard's of course, was his new Star Trek quilt and he ran his hand over the delicate stitches in the fabric.

"It still amazes me how you found the time to put all of this together, it must have taken you months."

"About five in total for each quilt. It helped that I was able to make regular shaped patches from the t-shirts whilst keeping the characters intact."

"I do love it, but have to admit that I'm feeling a little sorry for Sheldon…we've all got presents that were made for him." Leonard said quietly, a hint of guilt colouring his tone.

"Don't worry about it, Leonard, I would rather you genuinely loved the quilt and used it for its intended purpose; rather than Sheldon merely appreciating it for the fact that it was Star Trek and then placing it in a sealed bag so that it was never used. Quilts were made to be used and loved; to fade over time and then pass down through the generations. I have a few quilts in my collection that have been handed down to me from my father's great-grandmother; this one in particular is over a hundred years old." Amy smoothed her hand along the faded floral patchwork in the quilt in her lap, thinking about how excited she had been when her grandmother had sat her down to demonstrate the intricacies of piecing together their first quilt together. "Do you hear that rustling sound?"

"Yeah, I wondered where that was coming from." Penny copied Amy's movements and then tilted her head to the side. "Is that paper I feel?"

"Yes, when paper piecing first took off in America; the pioneer women would make paper templates from pages torn from catalogues and then leave them inside the quilt layers to give an extra layer of warmth. That's why antique quilts should never be immersed in water."

"I jotted down some ideas for where I thought you should start first…" Howard passed up the notepad to Amy. "The hallway makes the first impression, stark and cold rather than warm and welcoming; if you want the oak flooring to go throughout the ground floor then you'd need to start with getting the marble floor tiles removed. I don't know whether the company that the realtor mentioned would be interested in reselling the floor tiles; if not we could probably bash them out in a couple of days. Then the fireplaces, followed by the Master suite; everywhere else is liveable for the time being. The utilities were never switched off and you have a backup generator in the second barn closest to the house for emergencies. You'd need to contact your broadband supplier to get your internet up and running, but I don't foresee any difficulties there."

"Wow, Howard; I'm impressed." Leonard took the notepad from Amy and scanned over Howard's fairly detailed lists; he'd included a ballpark estimate for each stage of the renovation and had obviously done his homework as he had pencilled in a rough timescale for the works, Leonard let out a slow whistle as he saw the date of completion. "You really think we can get this all done in twenty one days?"

"Depending on whether we'd need contractors to remove the marble tiles for re-sale purposes, yes; I think we can get this thing done by Christmas Eve."

"Party at Amy's!" Penny cried out, waving her hands in the air and chanting.

"Slow down, bestie…As much as I applaud Howard's thinking, I haven't even contacted the company that installed the marble to see whether they could fit me in yet. If they have no interest in purchasing either the surrounds or the tiles, then it is theoretically possible that we could complete the renovations in time for a small social gathering…note the word, possible." Amy gave Penny a sideways glance as she stressed the importance of the word 'possible'.

"You won't know until you try. Give them a call first thing and then at least you'll know either way, and we can plan from there." Howard suggested as he demolished the last slice of pizza out of the box. He glanced down as his phone started to vibrate and he saw Raj's number flash across the screen. "Raj! How was paintball? What, Sheldon didn't go? How come? Oh, yeah I see…No, we're all hanging out at Amy's…hold up, let me put you on speaker…"

"_Howard, if you're hanging out at Amy's then why am I sitting out in the hallway of her apartment and not inside with the rest of you?"_

"Ooh, we forgot to tell him!" Bernadette squealed and leant closer to the phone.

"_Tell me what?" _

"We're having a sleepover at Amy's…but we're near Monrovia and not Glendale!" Penny yelled from across the room.

_"__Amy? You bought a house? How could you guys do that without me? Are you seriously telling me that I spent the day with Sheldon, trying to figure out a way for him to win Amy back and you went out and bought a house!" _

"Wait…Sheldon didn't go to paintball and you spent the whole day with him anyway?" Howard smirked over at Penny and they grinned, not understanding why Raj would have deliberately put himself in that situation.

"_Dude, he was miserable; he's really not taking the break up well…Howard take me off speaker." _Howard picked up the phone and turned off the speaker, pressing it close to his ear so that only he could hear what Raj had to say.

"Okay, it's just me…"

"_Sheldon wants Amy back so badly that we spent the morning shopping for a Christmas tree and decorations."_

_"_Shut up! You're kidding me…"

"_I would never kid about Christmas. I helped him decorate the apartment this afternoon…well, actually Sheldon insisted on decorating the tree himself and asked me to make sugar_ _cookies...only I had to make them look exactly like Amy's. He's come up with a plan…he's going to give Amy the whole Twelve Days of Christmas experience. That's why I was over here, he found a Christmas card with a partridge in a pear tree on the front and asked me to drop it in for her. Tomorrow he's got a little ceramic ornament with two turtle doves to give her….Howard, you can't say anything to Amy; he wants it to be a surprise."_

"Yeah, well it will definitely be that…we're all out at the farm and Amy's going to be sorting out the cashier's cheque tomorrow and then getting things organised out here."

"_She bought a farm! I thought she was only looking for a house to make herself feel better?"_

"Okay, farm might be a small exaggeration…It's a nice house with a couple of barns set in a few acres of land…and get this; it's in a small town called 'Cooperville', she's about ten minutes away from the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains."

_"__Ooh, it's like she can't escape from Sheldon wherever she goes! If I hadn't promised Emily a trip to the movies, we'd come over and join your slumber party. Send me some pictures so that I can drool instead."_

"Okay, 'night Raj."

"Goodnight Raj!" Everyone else chorused and Howard flipped the phone shut.

"He says goodnight and congratulations."

"It's getting a little late, how about we try and get a little sleep now? I have to be up early in the morning, I need to pick up a few things at my apartment before I head over to the bank." Amy pulled her quilt a little higher over her shoulders and Leonard poked the fire a little before setting the guard in place.

"If you leave me the contact details for the marble people, I can get started making a few phone calls." Leonard offered as he reclaimed his seat in the rocking chair and Howard snuggled down further into his fleece lined sleeping bag.

"There's a Home Depot near the Mountain Vista Plaza shopping centre, I'll head over there tomorrow on my way back and grab a few things that we'll need to get started; paint chips, fabric samples…things like that." Howard murmured sleepily as Bernadette nestled against his side.

"That would be nice, thank you everyone." Amy replied, a little choked up at how the group had accepted her as a friend in her own right and were now prepared to give up their own holiday time to help make her one of her dreams a reality.

"No problem, sweetie…anything we can do to help." Penny stretched out an arm from beneath her quilt to clasp Amy's hand and still holding on, they fell asleep in front of the barely glowing embers of the fire.


	14. Chapter 14

Amy stepped into her Glendale apartment early on Monday morning and noticed a small red envelope had been slid under the door. She bent down to pick it up, thinking that one of her neighbours had sent her an early Christmas card. Sliding her finger under the flap, Amy pulled the small square card out of the envelope and looked at the image on the front. "How lovely," She said aloud as she read the ornamental gold script on the front of the card. '_On the First Day of Christmas'_. Amy opened the card to find there was no mention of the sender just a slanted scrawl wishing her a Merry Christmas. "That's a little odd." She thought as she propped the card on the kitchen counter and then catching a glimpse of the time, hurried into the shower.

Sheldon was eating his Monday bowl of oatmeal on the couch when he heard the door to apartment 4b open and then close across the hallway. "Hmm…cutting it a bit close, Leonard." He remarked as he glanced down at his watch, it was approaching a quarter to eight and Leonard usually tapped on the door at ten to ready to drive them both over to the University. Sheldon's phone buzzed a few seconds later and he pulled it out of his pocket.

**Running a little late…not going into work today but can still drive you over but not until eight fifteen. LH**

"Really, Leonard!" Sheldon groused as he placed his bowl into the sink and ran a little water over it before setting it in the dishwasher. "Our agreement clearly states that forty eight hours' notice is required in the event of any cancellation or planned holiday." Sheldon walked over the hallway and gave his repetitive signature knock on Penny and Leonard's front door.

"Leonard and Penny. Leonard and Penny. Leonard and Penny."

"What's up, Sheldon? Didn't you get Leonard's message?" Penny asked as she pulled open the apartment door after taking a lightning fast shower and hurriedly pulling on her suit.

"I did."

"So?"

"So I was wondering why Leonard felt the need to suddenly change the scheduled time of our departure…My first lecture starts at eight-thirty and that barely gives me enough time to get there and set up."

"Sorry, Sheldon. He meant to let you know that he wouldn't be going in last night but we both forgot. I'm heading out now if you want me to drop you off along the way; you'd have to walk a little as I'm not going directly past the University."

"Thank you, Penny. Why is Leonard not going to work today? Nothing's wrong, I hope?" Sheldon was genuinely concerned about his former roommate and Penny immediately reassured him.

"No, sweetie, everything is fine. Leonard's just got a few weeks' leave to take before the start of the New Year and he's decided to take them now. Howard's got a few weeks as well, I think Leonard was going to talk to Raj to see if he could swing by and take you in to work."  
>"Oh, I see…" Sheldon hovered in the doorway for a few moments, "I'll just grab my things and I'll meet you in the lobby."<p>

"Sure, sweetie…see you in five." Penny gave Sheldon a small smile and watched as he slowly walked back over the hallway. She turned around to see Leonard emerging from the bedroom dressed in faded sweatpants and a ragged t-shirt. "Sheldon's going to catch a ride with me this morning, he doesn't look good, Leonard."

"How do you mean?"

"It looks as though he hasn't slept and he definitely skipped shaving this morning as he's got a hint of shadow along his jaw." Penny poured Leonard a mug of coffee and checked her purse for her wallet and keys. "Have fun at Amy's today; if I get finished early I might swing by and see how things are going."

"Okay, love you."

"Love you too, sweetie." Penny blew Leonard a kiss as she swept out of the apartment in a cloud of perfume, leaving him staring after her and feeling a little guilty about ignoring Sheldon. He picked up his phone and dialled Raj.

_"__Leonard! Is everything okay?"_

"Sure, I just forgot to let Sheldon know that I was taking a few weeks off to help Amy with the house. Penny's driving him in this morning but do you think you could bring him home tonight and take him in for the rest of the week?"

_"__Sure, no problem. He'll probably have me drop him off near Amy's anyway for Day Two of his grand scheme."_

"Huh?" Leonard was confused, he didn't think Sheldon knew anything about Amy's new house.

_"__Oh, not her new place…Sheldon's planned a strategy for winning Amy back. He's going to romance her through the Twelve Days of Christmas. Yesterday it was a little card with a partridge on the front, today is an ornament of two doves. Have you been over to the apartment at all?"_

"No, Penny and I only got back from Cooperville about ten minutes ago."

_"__Dude, as soon as he's gone pop over there and take a look at what he did yesterday. I think he's really serious about trying to make a real effort…I'm thinking that I might even re-wrap my quilt back up for him, it doesn't seem right that we should keep something that Amy spent time making just for him."_

"Oh…I slept with mine last night and it was great…if you give yours back then I'd feel rotten keeping mine." Leonard was crushed at the thought of losing something so great, but had been fighting the guilt ever since he unwrapped it.

_"__Maybe we can ask Amy to make us one that's tailored especially for us? I'd love one with my girl Sandy on it…maybe a montage of all of my favourite movies."_

"Ooh….I could have Babylon 5!"

_"__Seriously Leonard? You really think that Amy would be able to source material this long after it went off air? Maybe you should stick to something from Middle Earth or your favourite comic-books."_ Raj scoffed at the thought of a Babylon 5 quilt and then softened his tone. _"You're going to be married soon anyway, maybe you should think about what Penny would like on the quilt…I don't think she'd like to sleep with pictures of Batman or The Flash spread over it."_  
>"No, you're probably right. Amy had a beautiful quilt last night that was handed down through her father's family…it had a lovely interlinked pattern in the middle."<p>

_"__It might have been a 'Wedding Ring' pattern, back in the day it was a traditional quilt passed over on the occasion of an eldest daughter's wedding day…imagine the look on Penny's face if you were to hand something like that over as a present! Ooh, I'm starting to tear up just thinking about it!"_

"Okay, Raj…that's enough. I'll get my quilt dry cleaned and re-wrap it for Sheldon. Somehow I don't think it will be that easy to prise Howard's wall hanging out of his hands though, you may need to offer him something in return."  
><em>"You leave Howard to me, I have enough blackmail material in my arsenal that he will hand it over in a flash once I threaten him with a certain titbit that I'm sure he wouldn't want his lovely wife to find out about."<em> Raj's amused tone left Leonard in no doubt that the wall hanging would soon be finding its way underneath Sheldon's Christmas tree.

"I've got to go…I promised Amy I'd get the ball rolling with having the marble removed from the living room and hallway and I haven't even started yet."

_"__Yeah, they're a bit chilly aren't they? It would be fine if they were somewhere like my parent's place in Mumbai but in a lovely setting like Amy's farm…it just doesn't seem right."_ Raj had seen the photos that Howard had sent over the night before and agreed that the marble looked completely out of place for the timeframe of the house. _"I'll let you go, but don't forget to check out the decorations over at Sheldon's."_

"I'll take a peep before I leave. Bye Raj."

_"__Bye."_

Leonard slipped his phone back into his pocket and grabbed his jacket from the bedroom, he'd heard Sheldon's door open while he was on the phone and knew that the coast was clear. He let himself in across the hall and stood in the doorway as he admired the bushy Christmas tree set up on the raised area by the window, with the wooden ornaments and popcorn strung around the branches. Sheldon had set up his smaller train set around the base of the tree and the whole effect was of a whimsical bygone age. Leonard was impressed with the effort Sheldon had made in just the space of a single day, but wondered whether it would be enough to convince Amy he was worth fighting for. Leonard snapped a few photos with his phone and after checking the time on his watch, hustled out of the apartment to head over to the marble installers on the other side of Pasadena.

Amy paced up and down outside the bank, impatient for the doors to open. She checked her watch again for what seemed like the hundredth time, and as soon as the doors were unlocked made her way over to the personal bankers.

"Excuse me, I'd like to speak to someone about having a large cashier's cheque drawn up?"

"Certainly, Madam. If you'd like to follow me into one of our meeting rooms I'll get that started for you." One of the female bankers led Amy into a small side room and bade her to take a seat. "I'll just take a few particulars, do you have any form of identification with you today please?"

"I have my passport, driver's license and University identification; would that be sufficient?"

"Of course, Doctor Fowler." The banker replied, scanning the offered identification and handing it back with a smile. "Could you confirm your account number for me please?"

"Treble six, eight, nine, two, four, nine." Amy reeled off the numbers without even having to check and the banker keyed in the information onto her screen.

"Could you confirm the amount and to whom the cheque should be addressed?" The banker requested and Amy slid the purchase agreement across the desk. "Oh, you're buying a house! How lovely, will this be just for the deposit? We're very proud of our mortgage rates and I'd be happy to set up an appointment for you…Oh, I guess not." The banker flipped over the page and saw that the cheque was to be for the full amount and not just the deposit. "As this is such a large amount of money, we can offer a security service to deliver this for you at no extra charge.

"Oh, thank you…yes, I think that would be a sensible idea." Amy nodded and when the printer whirred with the printed cheque, signed along the dotted line.

"That's it…we'll get this over to them within the hour." The banker slid the paperwork into a sealed envelope and rose from the chair, offering her hand out to Amy. "Good luck with everything, Doctor Fowler. Do let us know if there is anything else we can help you with."

"There is something I'd like actually. I'd like to set up another account with two further card holders…and I'd like for the cards to be available immediately, if that's at all possible." Amy replied and the banker nodded.

"I think we can get that in place for you, Doctor. You will need to come back in a few hours whilst we prepare the cards, but they should be available before noon." The banker clicked a few keys and then nodded. "There will be an additional fee of two hundred dollars…"

"That's fine, could you transfer thirty thousand dollars from my existing account over to the new account for me please?"

"Certainly." The banker confirmed the transfer and slid the paperwork over for Amy to sign, handing one copy back to Amy and filing another file with the duplicate. "That's all set up, we'll give you a call as soon as the cards are ready to collect. Don't forget to file your change of address details once you've completed the purchase, we can arrange for your details to be transferred over to our branch in either Monrovia or Duert." The personal banker added as she rose up from behind the desk and held open the door for Amy to walk through. Amy looked back to see the banker handing over the precious envelope containing the cashiers cheque to one of the tellers and the banker smiled over in reassurance.

"They're going to make the call right now, rest assured Doctor Fowler. Your cheque is in safe hands with the National Trust of California." Amy smiled in return and left the bank feeling tons lighter, both in pocket and in spirit. She headed for her car and drove back to Glendale singing along with the stereo at the top of her lungs.

Howard had driven over to Cooperville after making a quick stop to collect Stuart on the way. The two of them had run into the nearest Home Depot and swiped a handful of fabric samples and paint chip booklets before loading up a shopping cart with scrapers, paint brushes, drop cloths and buckets. They ran back out to the car, Howard having swapped with Bernadette for the day, and headed back into the Mountains.

"Thanks for helping out today, Stuart."

"No worries, Debbie is spending the day with your aunt anyway so I was at a loose end."

"How are your classes going?" Howard asked, his mother had said that Stuart had spent a portion of the insurance money from the fire into taking a couple of evening classes at the local art school, brushing up on his craft with the intention of trying to break back into the industry.

"Surprisingly well, actually. I've even got a couple of interviews lined up next week to do some illustrations."

"That's really great, Stuart." Howard was genuinely pleased for his friend, Stuart had struggled after losing his business and his home due to a fire at the Comic-book store and it was only after he moved in with Mrs. Wolowitz that things had started to turn around for him.

"Thanks, Debbie has said that I can stay with her for as long as I need too, even though she doesn't require a carer any longer; I'd miss our weekly Wheel of Fortune nights- I've won the pool for three weeks straight now."

"Wow, winning the pool from Ma…that's hard to beat." Howard remembered how competitive Debbie Wolowitz was with her game shows and for Stuart to beat her showed some serious game show addiction.

"Yeah, she's been a Godsend to me over these last couple of months and I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't asked me to take care of her."

"I'm glad it's starting to work out for you; hopefully we can make the same thing come true for Amy." Howard made the turn into Amy's driveway and Stuart whistled between his teeth.

"This is gorgeous, you can just picture how it will look covered in a dusting of snow…"

"I've just had an amazing idea…what would you think if I asked you to paint a landscape for Amy in time for Christmas? She's told us how she imagines the place will look after the renovations are complete, is that something you could do?"

"Sure, send me any photos that you've taken of the existing exterior along with any thoughts that she's had and I can do a watercolour…I'd like to do it in oil but that would take too long."

"That would be great…one thing she's mentioned is the fact that she'd like a red front door with brass handles…" Howard parked in front of the house and started to unload the trunk, stacking the buckets, scrapers and brushes on the porch. "She wants these steps replaced too, Amy doesn't like the tiles and would rather have a white wooden porch to match the house."

"Can't you just picture evergreen ropes twisting up these pillars?" Stuart tapped the two pillars at the top of the steps that rose up to connect to the overhang. "Twinkling white lights draped over the railings, twisting in with more evergreen and some red velvet bows dotted around…Yeah, I can definitely see that on canvas."

"Okay, but for today your job is to scrape and sand down the front door. I'd like to try and get it painted today so that Amy can start to see her dream taking shape." Howard passed over the paint stripper and scraper to Stuart before walking up to rap on the knocker.

"Hey! Don't I get a tour of the inside before you put me to work?" Stuart protested as Howard rapped again.

"It looks like Leonard and Amy haven't made it back yet. Leonard was going to drive over once he'd been to see whether the guys that installed the marble would be prepared to buy it back from Amy."

"Marble?"

"Yeah, the whole hallway is covered in marble tiles and both of the two large fire surrounds were removed and replaced with yet more marble. It just doesn't fit in with Amy's vision for the house and she wants the original features put back into place." Howard crossed back over to sit on the top of the steps, Stuart taking a seat on the next step down.

"It's in a great spot, close enough to town that you could still have a night out when you feel like it, and yet far enough away from everything that you get a feeling of solitude."

"And yet the closest neighbours are just beyond the treeline, you can just see the top of their chimney from the balcony in the master suite." Howard waved his hand in the general direction of the neighbours, adding that it used to be part of the original estate. They chatted for a few more minutes about what a great find Amy had made and then glanced up as Leonard pulled up alongside the house.

"Hey Howard, hey Stuart." Leonard closed his car door and walked around to the trunk, where he removed a large sledgehammer and shovel.

"Hi Leonard. How did it go with the marble company?" Howard rose from the steps and waited for Leonard to join them. Leonard pulled out the spare key and turned it in the lock.

"Great…" He said as he opened the front door and they trooped inside. He set the sledgehammer and shovel against the wall and continued on into the living room. "They were all too pleased to buy the fire surrounds back from Amy and already have a buyer lined up from England. They're not interested in the floor tiles as they would cause too much damage getting them up that it wouldn't be worth it. So, they're coming out this afternoon to start taking out the surround in the living room and will be back tomorrow to do the same to the master suite."

"Good work, that means that we can get started breaking up the floor tiles and measuring up for the oak flooring. Did Amy leave you the paperwork from the realtor? They would have noted the room sizes in the original docket. We can double check before we order anything, but it would give us something to use when looking at estimates." Howard carried the paint chips and fabric samples into the living room and pulled a heavy notepad out of his jacket pocket. Leonard checked the documents that Amy had left with him and threw over the sheets containing the room descriptions.

"Is it okay if I take a quick look around?" Stuart asked as Howard started scribbling in his notebook, Leonard looked up with a smile.

"Sure, I don't think Amy will mind; there's nothing of a personal nature in the house anyway so knock yourself out." Stuart gave them a wave as he set off on his tour, and Leonard soon forgot him as he stripped off his sweater in preparation for breaking up the marble tiles in the hallway, leaving Howard to jot down calculations for the flooring required.

They'd been working for around an hour when Amy drove up, Stuart was applying a coat of liquid paint stripper to the front door and Amy could hear the chinking of metal against tile coming through the open doorway. She switched off the engine and stepped out of the car, pulling a loaded hamper from the passenger seat.

"Hey, Stuart!"

"Oh, Amy…congrats on the house, from what I've seen it will be lovely once you've restored it."

"Thank you, I see Howard's put you to work already." She replied, nodding over to the bubbling black paint that Stuart was carefully scraping away. "Would you care for a drink? I picked up some sodas and a selection of sandwiches on my way over."

"I'm good for now, but thanks for the offer." Stuart slid to the side so that Amy could step around him, basket in hand, as she peered through the doorway to see the activity in the hallway.

"Goodness gracious! You've got all of this done in just a couple of hours…I'm blown away." Amy was astounded at the change in the house since she left, Leonard had broken up two thirds of the hallway already and Howard was shovelling the broken tiles into a large bucket.

"Oh hey Ames…" Leonard leant on the handle of the sledgehammer with one hand and wiped his sweaty brow with his sleeve.

"You look like you could use one of these." Amy tossed him over a bottle of water and then threw another over to Howard, who had stopped shovelling as well.

"Thanks. What do you think of the floor?" Leonard guzzled half of the bottle in one go, and gestured to the uneven surface under their feet. "The marble company are coming out a little later today to remove the fireplace in the living room and they'll be back to take out the one in the Master tomorrow. They gave me a cheque already." Leonard pulled out a folded piece of paper from the pocket of his sweatpants and passed it over to Amy, who slipped it in her purse without opening it; the money wasn't that important to her, she just wanted them gone.

"I put the paint chip samples in the living room, I picked up one of those large fabric sample books as well for you to take a look at. You'll need to return it to Home Depot in a couple of days. Stuart's stripping down the front door, I'll pick up the base coat this afternoon and if you pick out the shade of red that you're after I'll get that too." Howard finished his water and tossed the empty bottle into the bucket of broken tiles. "We need to organise a dumpster for all of this refuse…Bernie called me earlier, she and Penny are coming over later this afternoon, Penny wants to take a closer look at the rest of the stuff in the barn so she and Bernie are going to catalogue everything they can find."

"That would be great." Amy agreed, sitting down on the bottom stair and pulling her wallet out of her purse. "While I was at the bank this morning, I opened up another account and transferred some funds over to it. I've added you both to the account and you can draw out whatever you need for the house; I'll transfer more over when we start to run low." Amy handed a bank card over to Leonard and another to Howard. "The telephone line should be up and running sometime this afternoon and they're coming out to set up the broadband tomorrow. All of the utilities have been transferred over to my name and I've arranged for a delivery of fuel for the generator to come in a few days."

"You've been a busy little bee, haven't you?" Leonard ran his hand over the plastic bank card and slipped it into his wallet; he was still a little astounded that Amy trusted them enough to give them a free hand with her money.

"It's a sad adage, but all too true in this instance…money makes the world go round." Amy replied with a faint smile, "I had to pay a little extra to expedite matters, but it's all worth it. I'd better get started on looking through those paint chips." Amy rose up from the stairs and headed over to the living room. Leonard leant over to Howard and lowered his voice.

"I'll run out and get the paint, I promised Raj that I'd drop my quilt off at the dry cleaners so that we can give them back to Sheldon. Has he contacted you at all about the wall hanging?"  
>"Yeah, yeah…I'm gonna give mine up as well." Howard gave a sigh and returned back to shovelling up the broken pieces of tiles.<p>

"I'm proud of you, Howard." Leonard patted his friend's shoulder and picked up the sledgehammer again, finding a rhythm and settling back in to the chore.


	15. Chapter 15

Raj was correct in his assumption that Sheldon would want him to make a quick detour via Glendale on the way home. No sooner had they left the University, Sheldon made his request.

"Raj, would you mind driving me over to Amy's please?" For a moment, Raj thought that Sheldon was referring to the new house in Cooperville and then remembered that Sheldon still didn't know about Amy's future plans.

"Of course, Sheldon…I'm not sure that she will be home just yet though, Leonard remarked this morning that she was taking a few days off work and might be heading out of town."

"I'd rather she wasn't home actually, I don't want her to know that it's me for now." Sheldon hugged his messenger bag closer to his chest and stroked the pocket containing the tiny ornament. "I found a cute cushion in Target today that had three hens embroidered on the front, Alex is picking it up for me on her way in tomorrow. Could you drop it off for me tomorrow evening?"

"Sure." Raj nodded, and then glanced over at Sheldon. "I didn't think Alex was still working for you now that you've moved over to Dark Matter?"

"She's picking up extra credits working as my academic assistant; I give her my lesson plans and she makes sure that all of the course material and slides are prepared for each class; she also helps grade the papers submitted and next semester will be helping the students out with field and laboratory studies. In return, I've been offering her a little help with her thesis papers."

"That's good of you, Sheldon." Raj remarked as he pulled to a stop outside of Amy's apartment building. "I'll wait for you here, how are you going to leave Amy's gift? It won't fit in her mail slot."

"I've boxed it up and used plain, brown parcel paper so that it won't attract too much attention. Amy's building has a mail table just under the mail slots just like ours, so I will leave it for her there." Sheldon extracted the carefully wrapped parcel from his messenger bag and got out of the car, he quickly walked into the lobby of Amy's building and left the small package on the mail table. Getting back into the car, he pulled out his laptop and flipped the lid open. "Okay, so that's the Partridge in a Pear Tree and the two Turtle Doves…tomorrow is a cushion with Three Hens, they don't look French unfortunately but I couldn't find anything that remotely resembled a French Hen. I need to try and find something that has four calling birds, I'm thinking about some edible bird seed ornaments that she can hang from her windows."

"Mmm…that sounds okay." Raj nodded, thinking that the bird feeders would be ideal for the new house. He merged with the traffic and twenty minutes later pulled to a stop outside of Sheldon's apartment building. "I won't come up tonight, Priya wants me to Skype her as soon as I get in; she's in New York at the moment and wants to talk about our parents. Are we still on for Thai later?"

"I haven't been informed otherwise, so yes. I'll see you at seven." Sheldon gave Raj his thanks again, and headed into the building as Raj drove away. Sheldon checked his mailbox and pulled the letters out, examining each envelope carefully. None of them appeared to be the official termination paperwork he had been expecting from Amy and Sheldon's mood brightened slightly as he walked up the stairs to the fourth floor. His mood wasn't as bright a few moments later as he received a text from Leonard and another from Howard a few minutes after walking in, both crying off Thai night that evening and cancelling for Penny and Bernadette as well. Sheldon fired off a quick text to Raj informing him that there was no point of coming over that evening as everyone else had cancelled and Raj replied that he'd also received a text from Leonard saying the same thing. Sheldon spent the time instead searching the internet for various ways of presenting Amy with the remaining eight days of Christmas and within an hour had planned out everything down to the last detail; all that remained was to purchase the items during his lunch break and transport them over to Amy's apartment.

Amy walked into her apartment building and checked her mail slot, stuffing a handful of bright red envelopes into her purse and scanned the table for any parcels out of habit. Her eyes fell on the small, brown parcel that was labelled with her name and she picked it up to unwrap it there and then.

"Ooh Amy! That's a lovely little trinket you have there…someone must be trying to romance you." Mrs Stefanovich, who lived along the hall, saw Amy hold up the ornament and leaned around her shoulder. "Come on then, dearie…who sent it?"  
>"I have absolutely no idea…" Amy scanned the wrapping for any information but apart from her name, it was completely bare. "What kind of birds do you think they are, Mrs. S?"<p>

"They're Turtle Doves, dear ...must have cost a pretty penny I should imagine."

"Turtle Doves…hmm…I did receive a blank card yesterday with a partridge on the front, and now a set of doves."

"Someone's trying to romance you with the Twelve Days of Christmas…perhaps it is that young man of yours." Mrs Stefanovich added with a wink, Amy hated to burst the cloud of romance that her neighbour lived in, but felt she ought to advise her of the change in circumstance.

"Oh no, Mrs S…Sheldon would never think of doing something like this. To start with, he hates everything about Christmas and anyway, we are no longer involved."

"Ah, that's a shame." Mrs S shook her head slowly, "I could tell that he was head over heels for you, Amy…my Jakob used to look at me with the same look that your young man used to have whenever he looked at you."

"What kind of look was that?" Amy hadn't ever notice Sheldon giving her a certain 'look'.

"The kind that would have made you go weak in the knees if you ever caught him doing it. I saw him look at you a few times as if he couldn't quite believe you were real…he made sure that you were always looking at something else whenever he did it…I think he was particularly fond of your buttocks as well." Mrs S chuckled at Amy's gobsmacked look and patted her arm. "Hadn't you ever noticed that whenever the two of you walked up the stairs together how he always walked behind you, rather than at your side? Take from a lady who has been on the receiving end of one of those looks…he was definitely crazy about you, my little friend." With that last remark, the elderly lady wandered outside, leaving Amy to think about what she had just revealed. Amy placed the ornament carefully in her purse and pulled out her phone to text Penny.

**Bestie…did you ever notice Sheldon staring at my rear?**

**Rear what? P xx**

**Rear end! Mrs S just told me that the reason Sheldon always made me go up the stairs first was because he liked to stare at my buttocks!**

Amy's phone vibrated wildly in her hands a few seconds after she sent the second message and she saw Penny's face appear on the screen.

_"Tell me everything!"_

"Mrs S said that she followed us up the stairs a few times and Sheldon looked at me the way her husband used to look at her…and he seemed particularly fascinated with my rear view."

_"Hoo…Shelly as an ass man; who'd have thought it?"_

"Hoo indeed…It might have been nice to have known it earlier, I might have been able to use it to my advantage; slightly tighter skirt or high heels to accentuate my wiggle." Amy let herself into her apartment, still chatting to Penny and placed her purse on the counter. "Oh and I got another mystery parcel today."

_"Whatja get this time?"_

"A sweet little ornament of two Turtle Doves. Mrs S thinks that someone is trying to romance me using the Twelve Days of Christmas."

_"Ooh, five gold rings and all that? Maybe it's Sheldon trying to win you back?"_

"I don't think so, bestie." Amy's voice held a tone of disappointment that even Penny couldn't fail to pick up on. "If Sheldon wanted to win me back so desperately he would have tried to contact me through our usual channels."

_"Sweetie…are you saying that you'd be willing to think about it if he were to try?"_

"I think I am…I miss him so much, Penny and I…" Amy's voice cracked a little and she was near to tears. "I…I…" She tried again and Penny could hear her struggle.

_"I know, sweetie…Put the kettle on and I'll be there in thirty minutes."_

"Okay." Amy whispered softly and rang off. She dropped her phone carelessly onto the bare coffee table and slumped against the couch cushions. What she had told Penny was only half of the story…she missed Sheldon so much that she couldn't sleep without cuddling up to his t-shirt that he had left in her apartment in his emergency kit. She'd found herself looking at paint chips and fabric samples earlier in the day and choosing the colours that she knew Sheldon would prefer. Amy knew that if Sheldon had contacted her even once in the past seventy two hours, she would have taken him back without a quibble; relationship agreement or no relationship agreement.

Over at Los Robles, Penny banged on Sheldon's apartment door with her clenched fist until he pulled it open with a snarl.

"Oh, it's you." Sheldon's face immediately smoothed out and he held the door open wider, to let Penny pass him by.

"We need to have a serious talk, Sheldon Lee Cooper!" Penny stood just inside the doorway with her arms folded across her chest. Sheldon gulped hard and looked more than a little concerned at her expression.

"Does this involve the use of your wooden baseball bat upon my person?"

"Not yet, but maybe it should." Penny tapped her fingers against her arm and stared at Sheldon until he started squirming uncomfortably under her heated gaze. "You're the one leaving the gifts for Amy, aren't you?" Sheldon glanced away, but the tick under his eye gave him away. "Hah! I guess Mrs S was right about you after all!"  
>"Mrs Stefanovich? What has Amy's neighbour got to do with any of this?" Sheldon glanced back over at Penny with a raised eyebrow.<p>

"Oh, just something she said to our little brunette about how a certain gentleman liked to watch his girlfriend walk up the stairs…" Penny replied airily and saw Sheldon's cheeks flush with the bloom of embarrassment. "Come on, sweetie…grab your wallet, you've got some serious romancing to do while she's in a good mood." Penny watched as the Sheldon's whole demeanour changed in front of her, his pasty face began to brighten and that familiar light started to shine from his blue eyes, transforming them into the brilliant blue orbs that they were all used to.

"Amy's not mad at me anymore?"

"Sweetie, hearing that you admired something about her physically probably made her whole year." Penny jingled her keys in Sheldon's direction and tapped her watch. "Come on, I told Amy that I'd be there in thirty minutes and we're down to twenty now."

"I admire a great many things about Amy's physical appearance…She must have known that surely?"

"Sweetie…if you never told her what you liked, how was she supposed to know?"  
>"Well…when we kissed, I…um…never mind." Sheldon's face flushed again as he thought about where his hands had ended up the last time they had exchanged an end of Date kiss, and he quickly changed the subject. "Is that where we're going? How do you know she wants to see me?" Sheldon pulled on his windbreaker and checked his pocket for his wallet.<p>

"We're making a pit stop at Galleria first." Penny let his comment about kissing Amy slid for the time being, but mentally filed it away for future reference. "You're going to buy everything that you had in mind for the rest of the twelve days and then you are going to personally deliver them to Amy and do whatever you can to get the two of you back together."

"In light of what we have just discussed, I might change my mind about one of the items…" Sheldon murmured quietly as he slid into the passenger seat of Penny's car. She glanced over and saw his lean fingers twisting together in his lap, and rested her hand over his stilling their movement.

"Sweetie…Amy is going to love whatever you get for her simply because you're the one giving it to her. It doesn't matter whether it's a cheap Christmas card or a really expensive piece of jewellery…she will love it regardless of the monetary value." Penny removed her hand and started the engine. "Shelly, there's something you should know…"

"I know about the house already…and no, that's not the reason why I started my plan to win Amy's heart."

"How did you know about the house?"

"Amy's timeline on Facebook…she never updated her status or removed me as a friend. I saw the pictures she posted this afternoon and know that's where Leonard and Howard are spending their vacation days. It looks like a very nice house and I'm sure that once the rest of the marble has been removed it will look even better." Sheldon kept his face turned away from Penny so that she couldn't see the abject misery etched on his lean features. Penny was adept at interpreting Sheldon's voice and facial cues and knew that he had suffered greatly from losing Amy.

"We've all been over there today; apart from Raj that is, even Stuart was roped in to sand and re-paint her front door."

"I know…I saw the pictures remember? Let's just get to the Mall before I lose my nerve."

"Lose your nerve about what?" Penny whipped her car into a suddenly free parking space and turned to face her friend.

"Day Five…I wasn't planning on doing this so soon, but I've realised that if I don't do something now, I run the risk of losing her forever…and I don't think I could stand that."

"Day Five…" Penny hummed the song in her head and then her jaw dropped open in shock and she slapped Sheldon on the arm. "Shelly! You mean you're really going to…?"

"Well, I wasn't planning on getting her gold napkin rings Penny…that's not in the least bit romantic is it?" Sheldon smiled tremulously and nervously bit his lip. "Do you think she'll thing that I'm only doing it to win her back?"

"No, sweetie…I think she will think you are doing it because you love her…and Sheldon, that had better be the real reason or else Slugger will be paying you a visit real soon!"  
>"It is, Penny." Sheldon assured her firmly as he straightened his shoulders and got out of the car with Penny doing the same. He glanced over at her and pulled a piece of paper from his pocket along with a handful of fifty dollar bills. "Could you take care of the rest of that for me please? Ignore the ballet tickets and hen cushion as they are already sorted, I'll take care of days five and seven if you could get me the others. No amendments though, please; every item on that list has been carefully selected and I want everything to be exact." Penny glanced over the items and nodded.<p>

"Meet you back here in twenty?"

"Okay, I shouldn't need as long as that as I just need to pick up the items that I've already ordered." Sheldon glanced at his watch and then over at Penny. "What? Just because I said I had planned it for next year doesn't mean that I didn't want to be prepared for every eventuality…"  
>"Like what?"<p>

"Valentine's Day is supposed to be one of the best times, or Amy's birthday…I wanted to have everything in place so that when it happened, I was fully prepared." They walked into the crowded Mall together and Penny reached up to press a kiss against Sheldon's cheek.

"I'm so proud of you, Sheldon…Now, go and get what you need and I'll meet you back at the car. I'll text Amy and let her know that I'm going to be a little later than expected…grab some flowers on your way back, they always make a pretty good icebreaker."

"Amy's allergic to flowers…I'll get her a Poinsettia basket instead, she likes those." Sheldon made a mental note to stop at the florist and headed off to the pick up the item that he had ordered a few months ago, just in case.


	16. Chapter 16

An hour later, Penny pulled up to the curb outside of Amy's Glendale apartment and glanced over at her nervous passenger.

"I'm going to walk up with you…Amy isn't expecting you, remember? I won't stay long, I promise."

"Okay." Sheldon replied quietly, pulling the various gift bags closer to his chest and checking the all-important box for Day Five was tucked away in his jacket pocket. They exited the car and Penny kept silent on the way up to Amy's door.

"Ready?" She paused before raising her hand to knock and when Sheldon nodded, rapped twice on the frame. As Amy pulled the door open, Penny smiled briefly before stepping aside and shoving Sheldon forward. "Merry Christmas, Amy." Penny left Amy blinking up at Sheldon in surprise as she sauntered casually back down the corridor.

"Hello, Amy." Sheldon murmured quietly with his arms full of brightly coloured gift bags. Amy dropped her arm from the door and took a step closer, scarcely believing her eyes.  
>"Sheldon…" She whispered hoarsely and then with a hitch in her breath reached out for him, Sheldon shifted the bags into one arm and stepped into her warm embrace, wrapping his free arm around her waist and let out a choked sigh as he buried his face in the crook of her neck.<p>

"Oh Amy….My Amy." Sheldon's breath was hitched and ragged as he struggled for composure, his grip tightened on her waist as he felt her tremble in his arms.

"Sheldon, I…" Amy's voice was husky with tears as she struggled to speak, "I've missed you so much…"

"Ssh, darlin'….I'm here..." Sheldon dropped a kiss on the shining crown of her hair and shuffled them both forward so that he could close the apartment door behind them. He dropped his parcels onto the couch, and barely even spared them a second glance as they threatened to bounce off the edge. All of his attention was fixed on the miracle that he was holding in his arms. "I'm here." He repeated quietly as he drew her closer to his lean frame, keeping his blue gaze fixed directly on hers. Amy sighed happily as she slid her hands to his waist and nestled her head against Sheldon's chest, closing her eyes as she listened to the steady and reassuring thump of his heartbeat.

"I've been such a fool, forgive me?" Amy said against his chest and Sheldon leant back a little in surprise.

"You're not a fool, Amy…and there's nothing to forgive." Sheldon pressed his forefinger against her chin, forcing her head up to meet his gaze. "I'm sorry, too…for not paying attention to the things that were important to you; I was too wrapped up in my own selfish wants to realise that you had hopes and dreams of your own. It was only when you took everything away that I realised that you were the source of my own hopes and I missed everything about you."

"Oh, Sheldon…" Amy reached up to caress the side of his cheek, and Sheldon's eyes closed as he relished the feel of her touch on his skin. It was if something so fundamental had been missing from his life for the past few days, and it was only now he realised what it was…her touch. Sheldon nuzzled into her soft caress and dropped a whisper of a kiss against her palm.

"I love you, Amy…I didn't realise it until I didn't have you in my life anymore; but I know now that I'm just no good without you. I love you." Sheldon opened his eyes and ran his finger over her soft cheek. "I love you." He placed a kiss against her forehead. "I love you." He moved his lips to her closed eyelids, capturing the tiny droplets that seeped beneath her lashes. "I love you." His lips roved over to her cheek. "I love you." The tip of her nose. "I love you." Finally he captured her mouth gave her the kiss that she couldn't have imagined in her wildest dreams. "I love you." He sipped the moisture from her lips, rubbing his mouth firmly against hers as he continued to murmur his love.

"I love you, too." As soon as Amy finished making her own declaration, Sheldon swooped in; dipping his tongue into the parting between her lush, full lips and capturing her mouth fully. His deft tongue explored the ridges of the roof of her mouth, rubbing along the length of her tongue and their minty breath mingled as the kiss grew even more heated. Sheldon lifted his head and looked lovingly into Amy's eyes.

"Amy, I had this grand scheme where I would shower you with expensive gifts to show you how much I cared about you, but now I think that I should have just told you how I felt sooner." Sheldon gently steered Amy over to the couch, shoving the gift bags aside so that they could sit close to each other. Amy grinned up at him and ran a finger along one of the ribbons dangling from the bags.

"So Mrs S. was right, you are the one that's been leaving me gifts every day!"

"I am." Sheldon nodded as his hand fluttered over the outer edge of his jacket pocket. "Did you like them?" Amy nodded as she nestled closer to his side.

"I loved them, but not as much as I love you." She pecked his cheek and felt him smile under her lips.

"So if I were to tell you that these bags contain the rest of the twelve days…?" Sheldon waved a hand over the glittering packages strewn across the couch and glanced over to see Amy barely sparing them a thought as she leant closer and closer.

"I would say that I would rather just kiss you again."

"Mmm…" Sheldon replied, tugging her onto his lap. "Good choice." He replied as he lost himself in the taste of her sweet kiss once again. Amy opened her eyes slowly as Sheldon drew away, giving a little murmur of disapproval. "Ssh, there'll be more of that a little later if you behave." Sheldon gave her a little tap on the end of her nose and settled her more comfortably in the shelter of his arms. He removed his hand from her waist so that he could retrieve something from his pocket and he kept his hand firmly closed around the object, hiding it from her gaze.

"Is that another gift?" Amy's eyes narrowed and she glanced up at Sheldon curiously.

"It might be, although if I let you open this one it will be hopelessly out of sequence." Sheldon gave a mock sigh and shook his head. "I suppose I could let it slide just this once, your eyes are bewitching me with their seductive powers and I don't think I could refuse you anything at all right now."

"Oh really?" Amy leant closer and whispered something in Sheldon's ear that made his face flush with embarrassment.

"You vixen! I'll have you know that the years spent practising the Vulcan method of Kolinhar has only kept my desires at bay for so long….you can't keep making suggestions like that and expect me to remain calm."

"Who said I wanted you to be calm?" Amy purred against his cheek, sliding her mouth across his in a lush kiss. Sheldon felt her tongue slip into his mouth and stroke against his, as her hands slid around his waist to brush her fingertips teasingly along the hem of his t-shirt. Sheldon tore his mouth away and leant back against the arm of Amy's small couch, holding one hand up to prevent her from continuing her seductive assault.

"No! You keep your distance, ya little temptress! Ya ain't gonna wrangle me into sinnin' with ya just yet…" Sheldon's low Texan drawl sent shivers of desire rippling down Amy's spine as she slowly shrugged her cardigan off her shoulders and down her arms. He swallowed hard as Amy's fingers danced over the small buttons of her plaid shirt, slipping them through the holes and as each inch of her undershirt was revealed, Sheldon started reciting the elements in his head in an effort to keep on track.

"Antimony, arsenic, aluminium, selenium. Hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and rhenium. Nickel, neodymium, germanium…" Sheldon opened eyes that he hadn't even realised he had closed, when he felt Amy's movements still on the couch. "Thank the Lord for that! You're a dangerous woman to know, Amy Farrah Fowler!" Sheldon breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Amy had stopped at removing her top two layers, leaving her clad in a soft peach silk shell and her skirt. She knelt on the middle cushion and crooked her fingers over at Sheldon.

"Gimme."

"Very well," Sheldon brought his hand forward and then paused. "I want you to keep an open mind about this, it's really not what I had planned at all…"

"I don't care, gimme." Amy crooked her fingers again, and Sheldon sighed as he transferred the velvet box over to Amy's palm.

"Go on, then open it." Sheldon said as Amy just stared at the small box sitting in the middle of her palm. With trembling fingers she flipped open the lid and let out a ragged sigh.

"Oh, Sheldon." Nestled within the velvet linings lay a sparkling Emerald engagement ring, perfectly matched to the gleaming gold band of a narrow wedding ring. Above the two was an emerald encrusted eternity ring and a wider men's wedding band.

"I know it's supposed to be five gold rings, but you don't really like bracelets or necklaces." Sheldon mumbled as Amy continued to stare down at the rings in her hand, she traced a finger over the inscription on the inside of the man's ring.

SLC & AFF – Forever

"How long have you been planning this?" Amy's voice trembled slightly as she set the rings down on the cushion and reached over to take Sheldon's hand.

"A while…" Sheldon's fingers curled over Amy's hand and he raised it to his lips. "It took a long time for them to get the rings in stock and then there was the engraving. I've been thinking about it seriously since Napa but when I saw the rings on display in Denver…I knew then that they were the ones for you. I ordered them as soon as I got back from my trip but just hadn't collected them until today…I was going to ask you on Christmas Day but things went a little haywire."

"Oh…" Amy bit back a tear at the thought that she might have ruined everything between them, just because she felt that they were stuck in gear. Sheldon nudged her chin with his finger and gave her a tender smile.

"So, what do you think? Do you think you could stand being stuck with me for the next sixty or seventy years?" Amy couldn't speak, her words stuck in her throat as she felt her overwhelming love for this man overtaking her body and soul. She managed a nod, and Sheldon reached over to carefully extract the emerald solitaire from the box and slid it gently onto her finger; raising her hand to place a tender kiss over the ring.

"I love you, my emerald vixen and I'm going to spend the rest of my life showing you how much I care."

"I love you, my crazy man and I'm going to love every minute of our life together." Amy managed to choke out a reply as she hugged him tightly to her, feeling his arms snake around her waist as he held her firmly in his embrace. "Sheldon."

"Yes, love?" He murmured into her hair, and Amy sighed happily at the endearment that fell so easily from his lips.

"You know that traditionally a woman only receives an eternity ring after the birth of a first child or on a milestone anniversary don't you?"

"Of course. I'll keep it in my safety deposit box until you're ready." Sheldon dropped a kiss against Amy's hair and she cooed softly under her breath. "Hmm…what was that for?"

"Because it means you've been thinking about having children with me and I love you for that."

"What do you mean?" Sheldon leant back a little and frowned down at Amy. "We discussed having a baby together before we were even dating properly! I just assumed that we were both on board with having children in our future, the method for conceiving them may have changed but I still us having at least two."

"You do?"  
>"Sure…A boy and a girl; both with sparkling green eyes just like their Mama's." Sheldon kissed Amy's forehead and snuggled back against the arm of the couch, draping their joined hands over his chest. "We'll get Mike Rostenkowski to build a tree house in the back yard so that they can run and play…maybe get ourselves a couple of dogs that they can roll around in the mud with."<p>

"Mmm…lovely." Amy soaked in Sheldon's words and then sat up with a yelp. "The house! I never told you about the house!"

"Hey, calm down, love." Sheldon petted her shoulder comfortingly, and pressed her down against his chest. "I know all about it, I saw the pictures the guys posted on Facebook and I couldn't be more proud of you. As soon as we're married, I will transfer half of the purchase price over to your bank account so that it isn't your house or my house; but our house."

"You don't mind that I chose somewhere that we will live? What if you don't like it?"  
>"Sweetheart, I will love it…you chose it didn't you? Then of course I will love it." Sheldon tugged Amy against his side and they both admired the gleam of her engagement ring in the soft glow of the Christmas lights.<p>

"I've got a confession to make…" Amy said suddenly, and Sheldon stopped stroking her hair and raised an eyebrow curiously. "I contacted the realtor's this morning and asked for you to be added to the deeds already. I was going to come over to see you tomorrow morning and beg you to put all of the silliness behind us."

"I would have said yes." Sheldon kissed Amy's cheek softly, and she smiled up at him mischievously. "What?"

"Do you want to come for a ride with me?"

"Amy, it's nearly nine o'clock; where would we be going at this late hour?"

"Well, if you don't want to see your new home…" Amy pretended to study her fingernails and then giggled as Sheldon dumped her unceremoniously off his lap and rose to his feet, snapping his fingers at her.  
>"Come on, little lady. What are you waiting for?" Sheldon gathered together all of the fallen gift bags and held out his hand for Amy. Giggling, she rose up from the couch and grabbed her keys from the counter.<p>

"You might want to call in sick tomorrow, Sheldon. Once you see the view from the master suite, you're never gonna want to leave!"

"Vixen!" Sheldon murmured into her ear as Amy flicked off the lights in her apartment and locked the door firmly behind her. Still giggling, Amy clasped Sheldon's hand as she pulled him along the corridor, excitedly explaining everything that Howard and Leonard had already achieved at the new house.


	17. Chapter 17

Sheldon leant against the frame of the French doors in the Master suite and gazed out at the night sky sighing with happiness. He could see all of the constellations winking on a field of navy blue and sighed again. Amy crossed over to join him and he automatically raised his arm so that she could snuggle under. "What's that sigh for, Sheldon?"

"You never get to see this in the city, too many streetlights…I didn't realise how much I missed seeing stars until I got here. I love the house, Amy and you were right, I never want to leave here."

"Good, I'm pleased." Amy stretched up on tiptoe so that she could place a soft kiss against his lips and Sheldon bent down a little to make it easier for her to reach, sliding his arms down to her waist in a loose embrace.

"When can we move in?" He murmured against her lips, and felt her smile against his mouth.

"As soon as they've finished putting the original fireplaces back, that is…if you don't mind not having proper floors down; the wood won't be ready for those for another week or so."

"I don't mind…I just want to be with you in our house; can we spend Christmas here?" Sheldon dropped a series of kisses along Amy's jawline and she tilted her head to the side so that Sheldon had easy access to the sensitive skin of her collarbone.

"If you like, Penny found a great oak bedframe in the bar so I just need to order a mattress." Amy quirked her eyebrow over in Sheldon's direction and his pupils dilated at the implied question behind her words, his arms tightened around her waist as his mouth roved back up to plant a wet, lush kiss against her mouth, sliding his tongue between her parted lips and leaving her in no doubt that when he would definitely be sharing the master bed with his fiancée.

"I can't wait…what else did Penny find in the barn?" Sheldon murmured between kisses as his hands trailed down to linger on her curvy rear. Amy sighed at his touch and Sheldon shifted her a little closer into the frame of his body.

"Um…a couple of matching wardrobes and a twin dresser to match the bed; a great kitchen table and a set of chairs…Oh God, Sheldon!" Amy gasped as Sheldon's fingers gently massaged her buttocks in small circles and with every touch pressed her closer to him, until there wasn't an inch between them.

"Go on…" Sheldon urged as his stance against the doorframe widened lightly so that Amy could feel every delicious inch of him brushing against her.

"There's some gorgeous sideboard that would look great in the living room and there's another couple of rocking chairs to match the ones that you saw by the fireplace." Amy rushed out quickly while she could still think coherently. Sheldon gave her a little smirk and pressed his hand against the small of her back, and Amy found herself moving forward again until she was straddling his thigh, her skirt slipping up slightly until it resembled a wide belt around her waist.

"Oh, darlin…that's it, come a little closer." Sheldon murmured as his fingers moved down to Amy's waist as his knee rose up a little to part her thighs a little wider.

"Sheldon?" Amy gasped out as she felt Sheldon's fingers graze her hem and slip underneath.

"Dear Lord! Since when have you worn thigh highs instead of tights?" Sheldon groaned loudly as his questing fingers found an expanse of silky skin rather than the slipperiness of woollen tights. Amy jerked slightly at the feel of his fingers on her bare skin and she inadvertently caused his hand to slip higher up her leg with her actions and his fingers grazed the lacy edge of her panties. Sheldon suddenly stopped all movements and looked down at Amy. "We should get going, I didn't mean for this to go too far. I don't want our first time to be like this, up against a wall with no home comforts."

"I'd like it to be in our bed, in our home." Amy smiled tremulously up at Sheldon and he closed his eyes at the thought, wrestling for composure. He withdrew his hand after giving her a brief caress and carefully put her clothing to rights, stepping a little away from his fiancée to leave a few inches between them.

"I'd like that too, we can make beautiful memories together and know that we will spend the rest of our nights in that very bed." Sheldon dropped a quick kiss to Amy's lips and glanced once more around the cavernous, empty room before holding out his arm. "Shall we?"

"Okay." Amy slid her hand into the crook of Sheldon's arm and hugged herself to his side. "I didn't thank you properly for the rest of my gifts…I especially liked the ballet tickets."

"Don't thank me yet, I think we've had far too much temptation for one night, little lady!" Sheldon tapped the end of her nose, and felt it wrinkle up as Amy grinned back at him.

"I'll save it for our first night in our new home; what do you say to next Saturday?"

"Really?" Sheldon beamed down at his smiling fiancée and picked her up to whirl her around. "I take it that's a yes then?"  
>"You betcha! That gives us about a week to prepare for Christmas…and I'm gonna make it the best one you've ever had!" Sheldon set Amy back on the floor and hurried her out of the bedroom and down the two staircases. "I need to call Meemaw and get her recipes for Christmas cookies and her special fudge." He muttered to himself as Amy locked the front door behind her, and looked up as she coughed lightly. "What?"<br>"Remember those sugar cookies I gave you last week? They were from your Meemaw's recipe, I called her a few weeks ago and asked her for it."

"I thought they tasted familiar!" Sheldon grinned, "I loved them, and it means that we get to make the next batch up together! This is gonna be great!"

"I got your Mom's Pecan pie recipe and her fruit loaf one as well, all of your childhood favourites, I was going to make you up a hamper and bring it over on Christmas Eve." Amy smiled over at the sight of Sheldon bouncing up and down on his heels.

"We could make up a couple of hampers and give one each to our friends as a gift."

"That sounds wonderful, Sheldon; but when are we going to have time to do all of that? We need to start packing if we want to move in next weekend."

"Don't you worry, darlin'…leave that to me. I won't give up the apartment completely just yet, so I'll move my essentials across on Saturday and move everything else bit by bit. What would you say if I said I was thinking about signing over the apartment to Leonard and Penny, I could pay the next couple of month's rent for them and write it out in a fancy scroll for their Christmas gift? They could put the rent money aside for their wedding instead."

"I would say…" Amy crossed over to wrap her arms lovingly around Sheldon's waist and leant her head against his chest. "I would say that I don't know what I did to deserve you. That has to be the sweetest thing I've ever heard you say."

"Okay, I'll do it." Sheldon nodded and then dropped a kiss to the crown of Amy's head before stepping away with a little love tap to her rear, making her squeak with surprise. "That's for not remembering that me telling you that I loved you was supposed to be the sweetest thing."

"Oh, I meant the sweetest thing that you've said or done for somebody else." Amy quipped back, opening the car door and sliding behind the wheel. Sheldon closed the door after her and crossed around to take his seat in the passenger side, glancing over to Amy with a smile.

"What?" She asked with a tilt of her head, Sheldon just leant across the console and brushed a soft kiss against her lips.

"Just looking forward to when you don't have to drop me off anymore, our goodnights will be said as we snuggle under the duvet together; me cursing you for your cold feet and you stealing all of the covers."

"Mmm…it sounds like Heaven to me and I can't wait!" Amy giggled a little at the thought of climbing into bed next to Sheldon every night and he couldn't help but kiss her again.

"You, my dear Doctor Fowler, are a vixen! You're the type of woman that my Mama warned me about when I came out here to join CalTech…only after one thing."

"Yup that's right…I'm a woman of loose morals and I'm going to seduce you with my chunky thighs and tilted uterus." Amy gave a herself a mocking smile and flicked her hand to start the engine, only to find her fingers trapped within Sheldon's firm grip. All traces of humour was gone from his voice as he gazed directly into her eyes.

"Amy, you are the only woman that could have tempted me in the slightest and I don't want to ever hear you say that you aren't pretty – because to me you are everything. Everything, Amy." Sheldon repeated again in a deeper tone and ran his hand down her cheek, "I love everything about you and will spend all the rest of my days on earth worshiping at your feet if that will prove my love."

"Oh, Sheldon." Amy sighed softly and brought her own hand up to cradle his jaw. "You don't need to worship me; just love me and that will be enough."

"That I can promise." Sheldon turned his head so that he could kiss her palm and then gently placed her hand back on the steering wheel. "Come on, it's getting late and will be nearly eleven by the time you've dropped me off and driven back over to Glendale…." His voice trailed off a little as he half turned in his seat to glance over at his now quiet fiancée. "You could always stay over with me tonight…and I don't mean on the couch."

"Sheldon, are you sure? That's an awfully big step for us…I thought you wanted to wait until we had moved in." Amy let the engine idle as she turned to look at him. Sheldon gave her a shy smile and shrugged his shoulders a little.

"I thought we could have a trial run, I'll lend you a pair of my pyjamas and we will try just sleeping next to each other…it might take some getting used to, neither of us has ever shared a bed with anyone else and we might find it strange at first."

"Okay, we'll give it a go." Amy nodded her head in agreement, she could see the logic behind his argument and felt a little thrill running through her body at the thought of being able to snuggle up to her sweetheart on the day of their engagement.

"Good." Sheldon waved his hand toward the darkened driveway. "Let's go then, the sooner we get home the sooner we can go to bed."

"A little eager are we?" Amy mused as she flicked on the headlights and started rolling down the gravel drive. Sheldon coughed a little and gave her an indistinct murmur of response, but his hand slid across to rest on her thigh to give it a little squeeze and Amy's inner Goddess lept up and down in excitement. Her years of waiting had finally paid off and tonight would be the start of the rest of their lives.


	18. Chapter 18

Amy and Sheldon talked quietly as they made their way up the stairwell to the fourth floor, discussing plans for their future and how Sheldon wanted to take Amy back to Galveston to meet his Meemaw in the New Year.

"I'd love to get to know Missy and her husband as well; I'm off work until the third week of January so we could go straight after the New Year if you like."

"I would like to see in the New Year at the new house first, so we could try and get flights for the third or the fourth and spend the week in Texas, coming back around the tenth." Sheldon pulled out his phone and started checking dates on his calendar. "I'll contact Siebert and Gablehauser in the morning and clear my schedule for the next month." Sheldon slipped the phone back in his pocket and brought out his keys to open the apartment door. "Would you like some warm milk before we turn in?"

"Mmm, please." Amy replied with a smile as Sheldon held open for her to step through, she caught her breath when she saw the beautifully decorated apartment. "Oh, Sheldon! This is just lovely…" Amy walked over to the tree and admired the toy land theme, Sheldon stepped behind her and loosely clasped her at the waist, pulling her back into his body as they gazed at the tree together. He dropped a kiss to the crown of her head and Amy let out a satisfied sigh.

"I'll get the milk ready." Sheldon murmured against her hair and Amy nodded, squeezing the hand clasping her waist.

"I'll just go and freshen up a little." She replied and Sheldon kissed her briefly again before stepping away to head over to the kitchen to prepare the drinks as Amy walked down the hallway and disappeared into the bathroom. Sheldon prepared two mugs of milk and slid them into the microwave and then remembered that he needed to find a pair of pyjamas for Amy to wear. He wandered down to his room and pulled out his schedule pair; he'd decided that he would wear the bottoms and an undershirt and Amy could wear the pyjama top and her panties. He quickly changed into the blue plaid bottoms and a pair of sports socks and then slipped a fresh undershirt over his head. Picking up the discarded top half he walked out of his bedroom and rapped lightly on the bathroom door.

"Yes?"

"I didn't know whether you wanted to change into your pyjamas…"

"Are you getting changed as well?" Amy called out from behind the door. Sheldon looked down at his nightwear and grinned.

"Already one step ahead of you, little lady." Amy pulled open the bathroom door and grinned back at her fiancé who just held out the proffered top with a wink.

"I thought we could share, it will probably be just as long as one of your nightshirts anyway." Amy accepted the pyjama top and pressed a light kiss to Sheldon's cheek.

"I love it. Give me a second and I'll be right out."

"Okay, darlin'. The milk should be ready now, come and join me on the couch when you're changed and we'll watch a little TV before turning in." Sheldon returned Amy's kiss briefly and left her to change.

He was just getting ready to take the mugs across to the couch when Leonard arrived back home after a date with Penny.

"Hi, Sheldon."

"Leonard…I thought tonight was one of your sleep over nights at Penny's?" Sheldon's brow wrinkled in confusion as he halted midway to the couch, still holding onto the two mugs.

"I have to get up early in the morning and Penny isn't working tomorrow." Sheldon nodded understandingly at Leonard's explanation. It was a well-known fact amongst the group that if you dared to wake Penny before eleven in the morning on one of her day's off then you were likely to receive a sharp jab in the throat for your efforts.

"Do you have a spare toothbrush I can use, sweetheart?" Amy wandered into the living room, dressed in her borrowed nightclothes and Sheldon ignored Leonard's gasp of surprise as he turned to address her query.

"Under the sink, there's a new packet that I bought especially for you as I know you prefer a slightly softer bristle." Amy blew him a kiss in thanks and headed back to the bathroom to finish her nightly routine.

"Sheldon? You and Amy…?"

"We've resolved our issues and are now very happy together, Leonard." Sheldon set the two mugs down on the coffee table and turned to face his roommate. "This is a little awkward as I had assumed that you would be sleeping over at Penny's this evening and I haven't sent you an official notification that I would be having an overnight guest."

"Hey, don't worry about it." Leonard waved off the worried look on Sheldon's face. "I'm very happy for you guys, how did it happen?"

"I went over to Amy's apartment this evening to apologise and we had a long talk." Sheldon began to explain only to break off when Amy walked back into the living room. She settled down next to him on the couch and accepted the drink from Sheldon, and it was only when the lights from the tree made the emerald in her ring sparkle that Leonard realised the change in their relationship.

"Oh My God!" Leonard grabbed Amy's hand and stared at the gleaming jewel. "The two of you got engaged! This is amazing…I have to tell Penny!"

"Calm yourself, Leonard…she already knows." Sheldon gently removed Amy's hand out of Leonard's tight grip and wrapped his lean fingers around her palm. "Penny took me to the Mall to collect the ring and then drove me over to Amy's earlier this evening, I asked her not to say anything until Amy gave me her reply."

"So she doesn't know whether Amy accepted you or not?" Leonard glanced over at the couple and clucked his tongue when they both shook their heads. "Oh, she's gonna be pissed that I found out first…" Leonard rose up from the couch and headed for the door. "Be afraid…be very afraid."

"Leonard, we were kind of hoping to keep this to ourselves for a little while…could you ask Penny not to tell any of the others just yet, please?" Amy held tightly to Sheldon's hand and smiled softly at Leonard, who nodded in understanding.

"I understand, I'll be back in a few minutes." Amy looked over at Sheldon after Leonard had left and nestled her head against his shoulder.

"Are you mad at me because I said I didn't want anyone else to know about us yet?"

"What? No, of course not!" Sheldon leant back a little so that he could see Amy's face and was quick to wipe the worried frown off her face. He dropped a tender kiss to her forehead and she snuggled back in as Sheldon ran a hand up and down her back in a soothing caress. "I'm feeling a little overwhelmed myself, and would have preferred it if Leonard hadn't discovered our new status…I was looking forward to being able to share a quiet evening alone together, now we're going to have to suffer the exuberance of Penny all night."

"She won't be that bad, Sheldon."

"Wanna bet?" Sheldon smirked down at his little brunette vixen and raised his eyebrow. "I think that as soon as Leonard tells her we will hear a girlishly high pitched screech…" Sheldon held up a finger as Penny's excited tones could be clearly heard from across the hallway. "Followed by the thud of her apartment door as it flies back against the wall…" A defined thud echoed across the landing. "And finally she will run through our door, throwing herself at us and squealing about how it would be great fun to have an engaged couple's sleepover and insist that we stay up all night drinking copious amounts of alcohol." Sheldon raced through the rest of his theory and within a few seconds of finishing, he looked on as Penny bounced into the apartment and started to babble incoherently to Amy, gasping and cooing over the emerald engagement ring shining on Amy's finger.

"Ooh Shelly!" Penny dropped Amy's hand and threw herself at Sheldon as he sat in his spot, tears of happiness shining in her eyes as she threatening to squeeze the oxygen out of his body. Sheldon sent a pleading glance over at Amy who tapped Penny on the shoulder.

"Bestie…save some for me."

"Oh, sorry Ames…I guess I got a little carried away there. I'm just sooo happy for you guys!" Penny pulled away from Sheldon and sat herself down on Leonard's lap. "We need champagne!"

"Actually, bestie…Sheldon and I would rather we saved that for when we move in together." Amy replied, softening her refusal with a smile.

"You're moving in here?" Penny asked, glancing between the two of them and saw the brilliant beaming smile that Sheldon gave his fiancée as he dropped a kiss to her forehead.

"No, we're going to be moving out to the new house together next weekend." Sheldon announced quietly and Penny smacked her hand against Leonard's thigh in her excitement.

"Leonard! Did you hear that? Shelly and Amy are going to move out to Cooperville together!"

"Of course I heard it, I'm not deaf!" Leonard rubbed his smarting thigh and smiled over at Sheldon. "That's great, buddy. Has Amy showed you any pictures of the place?"

"Better than that, I had a guided tour this evening; we spent a couple of hours walking through the house and then came back here." Sheldon glanced over at Amy, who nodded discretely. "Leonard, I don't want you to worry about the apartment."

"Sheldon…really it's fine."

"Hear me out, please." Sheldon held up his hand to Leonard to prevent any further interruptions. "I know I've always said that you couldn't make any major changes to our roommate agreement because it was my name on the lease…well, that wasn't quite accurate."

"What do you mean?"

"After we had been roommates for seven years, I added you as a secondary leaseholder…the apartment is now in both of our names and so you should have no troubles in removing my name and substituting it for Penny's."

"We can move over here?" Penny's reverent tone was a complete departure from her norm and when Sheldon nodded she rose up from Leonard's lap to stand in front of Sheldon. "Sheldon, please get up."

"Why?"

"Please, just do it." Penny asked quietly with a solemn look on her face, Sheldon reluctantly rose from the couch and stood stiffly in front of his blonde neighbour. Penny leant forward a little. "Sheldon…I love you."

"Amy, help!" Sheldon sent a panicked look over at his fiancée as Penny wrapped her arms around his waist and leant in to rest her head against his chest.

"Calm down, Sheldon…Penny just wants to thank you for signing the apartment over to Leonard. She's not going to ravish you or anything…right, bestie?"

"I may have to kiss him a little…" Penny grinned over at Amy, winking secretively and Sheldon tore himself out of her arms to run around the edge of the couch, putting himself out of reach.

"You stay back…you blonde…nymphomaniac!"

"Aw…Shelly…just a little peck…" Penny took a step closer where Sheldon was keeping the couch between himself and her and he squeaked in alarm.

"No! Only Amy is allowed to kiss me from now on, I promised."

"Alright then." Penny grumpily folded her arms across her chest and then winked over at Leonard, who grinned in response. "Amy, you'll have to thank him for me then."

"Okay." Amy twisted on the couch and crooked her finger at Sheldon, who bent down immediately. She pecked him on the cheek and he hummed under his breath.

"Oh no, we're a little more grateful than that, Ames." Penny shook her head and made a motion with her fingers for Amy to try again. Amy kissed Sheldon on the cheek again, letting her lips linger in place for a few seconds. This time it was Leonard who clucked in disapproval.

"May I remind you that it is a two bed apartment in a sought after location?"

"Oh for Heaven's sake!" Sheldon muttered and leant over the back of the couch to pull Amy up into his arms. His mouth swooped down to capture Amy's lips in a lush, open mouthed kiss and Penny's mouth fell open in shock as she watched as Sheldon practically devoured Amy's mouth. When he finally pulled away, they were both a little flushed and their mouths were red and swollen.

"Now, if you don't mind…my fiancée and I would like to go to bed. We have a very busy few weeks ahead and need all the rest we can get…and before you ask, no we are not planning on having coitus tonight!"


	19. Chapter 19

Sheldon woke up the next morning, feeling surprisingly content and happy. He opened his eyes slowly and his face dissolved into a warm smile as he met the sparkling green eyes that was the source of his inner contentment.

"Good morning." He whispered as he lowered his head to brush a soft kiss over Amy's lips.

"Good morning." She replied back, returning his kiss with a soft smile. "How did you sleep?"

"Like a baby, I thought I'd feel strange having someone next to me all night, but it didn't bother me in the slightest. And you?" Sheldon glanced down as Amy resumed her sleeping position, head snuggled in the curve of his shoulder and her arm thrown across his waist.

"Mmm, blissfully. I've never felt so comfortable in my life; it was almost as if I had only been practising at sleeping before but after sharing a bed with you, I don't think I could ever be truly comfortable on my own again." Sheldon ran his hand along the curve of Amy's back and she almost purred under his administration. "That's nice." She murmured as Sheldon continued to rub gently.

"It's these magic hands of mine." Sheldon murmured in response, as his hand drifted lower to settle just above her buttocks. He settled his head in the pillows and just allowed himself to relax into the feeling. "Hmm…this is nice. What are our plans for today?"

"Staying like this for as long as possible." Amy replied, shuffling a little closer to Sheldon's warmth and he shifted her legs to lie across his own, until Amy was lying completely draped over him like a human blanket. Sheldon brought both hands up to wrap around Amy's waist and her head fell into the curve of his neck, so that he could feel the soft puffs of her warm breath against his collarbone.

"No, really…what do you want to do today? We can do anything you like." Sheldon rubbed his chin over Amy's hair, feeling the soft bristles of his morning beard catching on the silky strands.

"You need to call in to request your leave of absence and we should really go out and pick up a load of packing boxes to start boxing up some of our things."

"I don't want to leave you today." Sheldon murmured, tightening his hold on Amy's waist a little and snuggling closer. Amy stretched up to kiss his chin and Sheldon bent his head so that their lips connected instead.

"We'll concentrate on packing up some of your things today and swap over to my place tomorrow. I do need to go over to the house at some stage today to have another rummage through the barns…Penny and Bernadette only checked the one and there another two slightly smaller outbuildings to go through." Amy said as their lips parted and they rolled over to lie side by side, propping themselves up on their raised hands.

"Oh goody, you know how much I love to make lists…" Sheldon grinned over at Amy and she wrinkled her nose up in response before going to swing her legs out of bed.

"Oomph!" She let out a girlish shriek as Sheldon pulled her back down onto the bed and playfully tickled her side.

"And just where do you think you're off to, little lady?" He mock growled and kissed the side of Amy's neck.

"Sheldon! I really need to visit the bathroom and then I was going to make us some French toast." Amy giggled as Sheldon's fingers ran up and down her side, threatening to slip under the hem of her borrowed top.

"I'm not ready to let you go just yet…but I suppose I could be persuaded." Amy twisted around and peppered Sheldon's chin with soft kisses.

"How was that?"

"Mmm…not quite." Sheldon tapped his cheek and Amy obediently pressed another kiss in the spot indicated. Sheldon then moved his finger to his other cheek and Amy's lips followed.

"Hmm, I'm sensing a familiar pattern here…you wouldn't be trying to get me to re-enact the kissing scene from Raiders would you Sheldon?" Amy rolled over to prop herself on Sheldon's chest and he grinned down at her.

"Have I ever mentioned how much I love the fact that you can quote my movies back to me?"

"Not in so many words, no." Amy wiggled a little in position, feeling her bladder protesting but not wanting to give up their special moment too soon.

"Well, I do." Sheldon bent his head to rub his lips over Amy's mouth and she hummed under her breath. "I want to try something a little different…" Sheldon murmured without lifting his head and pressed his mouth a little firmer on Amy's before pulling her lower lip between his teeth and sucking lightly on it. When Amy's lips parted even further with a surprised hoot, Sheldon released her lip and cautiously slid the tip of his tongue through the small gap. After a few seconds of exploration, Sheldon withdrew his tongue and lifted his head. "I could get used to that." He murmured huskily and opened his eyes slowly to see Amy's eyes cloudy with the haze of passion, she smiled softly and ran her hand through Sheldon's tousled hair.

"I heartily concur…but now I really need to use the facilities!" Amy scratched her fingers lightly on Sheldon's scalp and he arched into her touch, before pressing another quick kiss to her lips and rolling aside.

"I'll make a start on breakfast while you freshen up." He offered Amy his hand and pulled her to her feet. "Here, you can borrow my robe." Sheldon passed Amy the matching robe to their shared pyjamas and she slipped it over her shoulders. He bit back a grin as the robe trailed along the floor like a bridal train and Amy flapped the loose ends of the sleeves at him as she sauntered off towards the bathroom, leaving Sheldon smiling like a loon.

When Amy finished in the bathroom, Sheldon handed over the breakfast baton as he took his turn in freshening up. Strolling back down the hall a few minutes later, Sheldon was greeted by a platter of steaming French toast drizzled with maple syrup.

"Do you want any bacon with that, cuddles?" Amy asked as she poured hot water over their waiting teabags. Sheldon shook his head as he slid onto a stool at the counter and picked up a fork.

"This is fine, thank you for finishing it off for me." He leant over his plate to brush a soft kiss over Amy's cheek and she smiled back, slipping onto the adjacent stool.

"You're welcome."

"Just think, this time next week we'll be eating breakfast at that fantastic oak table instead of up at a kitchen counter." Sheldon looked around his apartment, thinking about the countless breakfasts he'd eaten in that very spot since moving in when he first arrived in California.

"I know you'll miss this place terribly, but you can always come over and share breakfast with the guys before your paintball games on a Sunday."

"It won't be the same though, and to be honest I'm not sure if I want to keep up with the weekly games; we'll be that much further out of town and I think I've grown out of it since I got back from my trip." Sheldon placed his cutlery neatly on his empty plate and wiped his mouth with a paper napkin.

"Speaking of being out of town…how would you feel about thinking about resuming your driving lessons? There's a metro station in town but that's still around five miles away from the house and I won't always be able to take you into work." Amy was a little hesitant about bringing the touchy subject up again, but she wanted to start their life off together on an even keel.

"Do you think you could teach me?" Sheldon asked quietly, rubbing his thumb over her engagement ring. "Perhaps we could have a few practise runs up and down the driveway or around the property."

"That's a great idea, it will give you a chance to get used to the feel of driving but without any distractions from other road users. I was thinking about getting a new car when I moved up there but I could start looking around now and you could use my current vehicle until you gain a little more confidence."

"I thought you were happy with your car?" Sheldon glanced over at his fiancée with raised eyebrows.

"It's a perfectly fine vehicle for using in the city but I'd like something a little more robust for when we move out to a more remote area…I was thinking about a little jeep or something else with four wheel drive."

"Mmm…good idea, that area isn't known for accumulating a heavy snowfall but it can get a little boggy when it rains. George had a truck when he first started driving and although I wasn't around much, I do remember admiring the black paintwork and shiny alloy wheels."

"Does that mean that you want to get your inner Texan on?" Amy ruffled Sheldon's hair and he blushed a little as he gave a slight nod.

"I could get one with a double cab so that I can cart the kids and dogs about with me. It will come in handy for when we start looking around for furniture, we can haul it up there in the truck rather than paying through the nose for delivery."

"Slow down, honey…you haven't got your license yet and you're already talking about shifting furniture about!" Amy tapped Sheldon on the arm to bring him back to reality. "It's going to take more than a few hours in my car before you can even think about moving onto driving a truck."

"I was thinking that we could get one straight away and you could drive it around for a while. When I eventually get my license then you can buy the jeep that you wanted."

"Let's concentrate on packing up a few of your things and then we'll talk about new cars a little later." Amy picked up the empty plates and ran some hot water over them to rinse them off before stacking them in the dishwasher. Sheldon plucked the sponge out of her hand and wiped down the counter as she crossed over to collect their mugs.

"That's the beauty of it, if we went out and bought a truck today we could load all of my things in at once and only have to make the one trip. If we boxed things up in your car, we'd spend all weekend ferrying things to and fro." Sheldon tossed the sponge back into the sink and gave Amy a pleading look.

"You do present a good argument and I can't argue with your logic." Amy folded her arms across her chest and tapped her toe on the hardwood floor. "Oh, what the Hell! Come on, get dressed and we'll go out and see if we can find somewhere that will let us drive one off the forecourt today."

"Thank you, Amy! You're the best!" Sheldon flung his arms around his smiling fiancée and gave her a tight squeeze, followed by a heated kiss. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Amy replied as she tugged Sheldon along the corridor to get dressed. "Come on, you can search for dealerships while I take a quick shower." Sheldon readily agreed and scooped his laptop under his arm as he allowed himself to be led into the bedroom.

Four hours later, Sheldon was the proud owner of a shiny black double cab pickup truck that Amy carefully drove back to Los Robles as Sheldon perused the manual, familiarising himself with the many additional extras that the upgraded model came with.

"Sheldon, we're back." Amy tapped him on the forearm to bring him out of his zone.

"Umm…did you know that you can hook up your cellphone to the truck's stereo system?" Sheldon reluctantly closed the manual and slid it in the glove box, he ran his hand over the console and patted it gently.

"Come on, Tex; let's go upstairs and start packing up some of your things." Amy jumped down out of the high driver's seat and crossed over to the sidewalk. Sheldon walked around the cab to join her and threw his arm around her shoulder, tucking her close to his side.

"Thank you for taking me today, I know it wasn't what we had planned." He dropped a kiss to her forehead and Amy squeezed his hand lightly as it rested on the curve of her waist.

"I had fun, Sheldon and it only delayed things slightly as you had very definite ideas about what you wanted. I think the sales guy was quite impressed by your research and I'm sure he is going to enjoy the rather large sum of commission he's just made." They walked through the lobby and up the stairwell to the fourth floor, perfectly synchronised with their movements. Just as they were about to open the apartment door, Leonard opened the door across the hall and peered out into the hallway.

"Oh hey! I was just about to give you a call. Was there anything in particular you wanted Howard and I to concentrate on this morning?"

"Come on over and I'll check my notes." Amy nodded over to Sheldon's apartment and Leonard followed them inside. He sat in the armchair as Amy rummaged in her purse for her large binder of carefully detailed notes. "Okay, the flooring arrived yesterday and is stored in the large barn; they are due to start that this afternoon once they've finished with the fireplaces. The company said that it shouldn't take more than a couple of days but they are concentrating on the hallway and living room; coming back in the New Year to do the dining room and kitchen. The staircase has been stripped and re-varnished and all of the painting has been completed in the hallway, living room and kitchen areas." Amy ran her fingers across her printed spreadsheets, where item had been coloured in as it was completed.

"What about stripping off the wallpaper in the guest bedrooms? That will keep us out of the way and it needed to be done eventually." Leonard suggested from the armchair and Amy pursed her lips slightly as she tilted her head to the side in concentration.

"Hmm…that could work. Sheldon and I are going to head over a little later this afternoon to take a look through the other storage barns and then we were going to start taking the bed frame apart to get it up to the house. What do you think, Sheldon?" Amy turned to ask Sheldon's opinion and he looked up in surprise.

"Oh, sorry…I was thinking about Christmas."

"Christmas, you buddy?" Leonard chuckled a little at the thought of the very idea, Sheldon was more of a Grinch than a Santa and now he was thinking about Christmas a whole three weeks early!

"Yes, if we're going to have a large gathering for Christmas day then we should concentrate our efforts on making sure the kitchen is in working order, followed by the living room and finally the guest rooms." Sheldon ticked each item off his fingers and raised his brow at Leonard's puzzled look. "If the stove isn't adequate how are we to cook the turkey? We have no living room furniture so where will everyone sit? And finally, when Penny passes out from her copious amounts of merry making, where will she be able to sleep it off? No, I think that I will need to focus my attention on making sure that the kitchen is in working order… Amy, you have an idea of what you would like in the way of furniture; so maybe it would be an idea if you took Leonard out to see what is available that we can take away immediately and Howard can make a start in the guest rooms."

"Sounds like a plan." Leonard nodded and glanced over at Amy, who was scribbling in her notebook. "Okay, I'll head over there now and fill Howard in, until the two of you come over I'll give him a hand with stripping off the wallpaper."

"Thanks Leonard; we're just going to pack up a few of Sheldon's things and then we'll be straight over." Amy smiled at their friend and he grinned back at her.

"No problem, I'm just glad that we're all working together on this."

"As am I, Leonard." Sheldon stated quietly, clasping Amy's hand gently within his own as his thumb rubbed over her ring again, in what was fast becoming a habit with him. Leonard smiled softly at his former roommate and got up to leave.

"See you in a few hours, then." He waved from the doorway and left the two of them alone to start packing.


	20. Chapter 20

Later that afternoon, Amy pulled into the driveway with Leonard at her side. They had managed to find a furniture warehouse that was having a pre-Christmas sale and Amy picked out a comfortable looking tan leather suite consisting of two three-seat sofas and a wide armchair; the colour was a perfect match to the sofa in Sheldon's apartment and she thought that it would make the transition a little easier if Sheldon had something a bit familiar around him. They'd managed to fit the armchair and one of the sofas on the bed of the truck and Amy had arranged to collect the second one the next day. Amy honked the horn as they pulled to a stop near the front porch and Howard leant out of the upper storey window.

"I'll get Sheldon and we'll be right down!" He called out as he withdrew his head, a few seconds later both men came out of the newly painted front door and helped Leonard undo the ropes that held the furniture in place.

"These look great, Amy." Sheldon remarked as Leonard and Howard slid the sofa carefully over to the edge of the lowered tailgate. "Careful, Howard…shift it a couple of inches to your left and you'll be clear."

"How's that?"

"Perfect." Sheldon held up his thumb and Howard hopped down to the ground, Sheldon nudged Amy clear and assisted the smaller man in lowering the sofa to the ground. Leonard jumped down and he and Howard carried the sofa up to the front steps, both grunting lightly with the effort.

"Hold up and I'll get the door." Amy called out, and hurried around them to hold the front door open. Sheldon climbed onto the bed of the truck and shifted the armchair over to the edge; he decided not to risk trying to lift it down on his own as it was a large, overstuffed chair and he wasn't the strongest of the group. Leonard ran back down the steps and joined Sheldon at the truck.

"On three?" He called over to Sheldon and he nodded.

"Okay…one, two, lift!" Sheldon let out an expulsion of air as they lifted the heavy chair over the tailgate and set it down on the ground. "Boy, that's a trifle heavy." Sheldon grunted as he and Leonard then started crab walking the chair over to the porch.

"Yeah, it's almost as heavy as the sofa and that's twice as long. Good job I packed my inhaler." Leonard panted as they reached the hallway.

"Just set it down inside the door; it will have to be moved out of the way tomorrow when they start laying the floor." Amy suggested from where she and Howard were sitting on the new sofa. "Give it a try, it's very comfortable."

"If I sit down now, I may never get up again." Sheldon pressed a hand to the middle of his back and gave a little grimace. "You'll be pleased to know that the stove is in working order and the whole kitchen has been scrubbed down now."

"Yeah, it's probably never been so clean." Howard remarked, giving Amy a sideways glance. "I found Sheldon trying to climb inside the stove so that he could ensure that it was properly disinfected."

"You can never be too sure when you take over something that other people have used. I am now satisfied that we can proceed with using the kitchen without contracting any infectious diseases." Sheldon winced again as he rubbed a small circle in the small of his back, and Amy crossed over to take over the massage, pressing her knuckles into his muscles. "Mmm…that's good, keep it up."

"Let's get you home and in the bath before you start to stiffen up too much." Amy murmured and Howard stifled a snort at the remark, only to be nudged sharply in the rib by Leonard.

"Not cool, dude…you'd better watch what you say from now on."

"Huh?"

"Take a look at Amy's hand and then where Sheldon's is resting…" Leonard suggested with a tiny smile, Howard's eyes nearly bugged out of his head when he saw the sparkle on Amy's ring finger and he choked as his eyes travelled down Amy's back to see Sheldon's hand resting just above her buttocks.

"Whoa, Sheldon? When did this happen?" Howard yelled out, leaping up from the new sofa and jumping up and down in excitement. Amy stopped massaging Sheldon's back and they both looked over at the diminutive engineer.

"Pardon?"

"You and Ames…you're engaged! When did that happen? Bernie's gonna freak!" Sheldon looked down at Amy and she shrugged her shoulder, he glanced back over at Howard.

"Last night, we were hoping to keep it fairly low key; I'm actually rather surprised that Penny managed to keep her mouth shut for once."

"Wait, Penny knows?" Howard stopped texting his wife and looked over at Amy with disappointment on his face. "You told blabbermouth and you didn't tell me?"

"Penny found out completely by accident. Sheldon and I weren't expecting Leonard to come over last night, we thought we would have the place to ourselves…one thing led to another and suddenly Penny knew. We were planning on telling everyone on Saturday when Sheldon moves in with me." Amy walked over to gently pat Howard's arm. "You would have probably found out before then anyway, we were just so busy today."

"Can I still tell Bernie?" Howard asked quietly and Amy nodded.

"Sure, no sense in trying to keep it a secret any longer. I don't want a fuss made though, I'd rather save all of that for the wedding itself."

"Mmm, I agree." Sheldon slipped his arm around Amy's waist and rubbed his chin over her hair. "Neither of us want an engagement party or lavish gifts; we'd just rather have a quiet dinner with all of our friends…we were hoping everyone would be available to help us move in over the weekend and stay over for a meal with us on Saturday night."

"You can count on Bernie and myself…I'll see if I can rope Stuart and Mike in to give us a hand as well. Bernie's Mom is away this weekend so Mike was probably going to descend on us for dinner anyway." Howard finished composing his text to Bernie and started on another to his father in law.

"I'm going to get Sheldon home before he falls asleep on his feet." Amy announced, Sheldon smiling sleepily in response. "Howard, could you lock up for me please?"

"Sure, no problem. Bernie will probably call you a little later to squeal in your ear or something."

"Okay, I'll be at home in about an hour." Amy paused as Sheldon whispered in her ear, and she blushed a little before nodding. "Make that two, we've got a little more packing to do at Sheldon's first."

"See you at home, Sheldon." Leonard called out and Sheldon gave him a slight shake of his head, and placed a finger over his lips as he jerked his head toward Howard. Leonard's eyes widened as he realised what Sheldon was trying to conceal and he nodded slightly. Howard waved goodbye to Sheldon and called out that he was just heading upstairs to clear away the mess from the guest room, as soon as he was gone, Sheldon whispered his plans to Leonard.

"I'm staying over at Amy's tonight, we're going to be packing her apartment up tomorrow and want to get an early start."

"So, why didn't you want Howard to know?" Leonard kept his voice low and checked over his shoulder to ensure that Howard was still occupied upstairs.

"I'm surprised you even have to ask…you know what kind of mind Wolowitz has; he would have automatically assumed that there would be some sort of hanky panky going on and we've decided to wait until we're settled here." Sheldon murmured softly and clasped Amy's hand in his own. "We're going to head back over to Los Robles to pick up my overnight bag and then go straight onto Glendale from there…you're on your own this evening so make the most of it."

"Will do…see you tomorrow?"

"Sure, we'll be here first thing as the contractors start laying the floor." Amy kissed Leonard's cheek in farewell before she and Sheldon headed out of the door.


	21. Chapter 21

Saturday morning dawned clear and bright; it was two weeks before Christmas and moving day for Sheldon Lee Cooper and Amy Farrah Fowler. It had been a frantic week, with the flooring being worked on and Amy travelling to and from their apartments carting over trunkful's of belongings two or three times a day. Luckily neither of them had too much furniture to be moved over, the few items they had between them fitted into the one small delivery van that Amy had ordered for the Saturday morning. They had loaded her waterbed, desk and bookcases in from Glendale and then headed over to Pasadena to collect Sheldon's dresser, desk and apothecary chest.

Amy was now following the truck over to Cooperville, Leonard was driving his car which was packed to the roof with Sheldon's clothes and collectibles with Penny driving over with Amy's car containing kitchen equipment and her bedding. Everything else had been taken over the previous day and left in the guest rooms for unpacking later. Howard and Bernadette had arranged to meet everyone at the house, having gone over early to give everything a quick clean up. During the week, Sheldon had finished carrying out the inventory of the other barns; the smaller barn had contained old farming equipment that was slated for disposal as soon as possible. The second barn held a lovely set of antique nursery equipment that had sent Amy into raptures of delight; her plans were to arrange for them to be moved up to the house to be stored in the attic until it was needed. Sheldon had also roped Leonard and Howard in to carrying the large bed frame up to the master bedroom and fitting it together, ready for the new mattress that was due to be delivered on Saturday afternoon.

"I've got Mike and Stuart moving up the chest of drawers into the master, they've already moved the other bedframes into the guest rooms." Howard leant into the open window of the cab as Amy pulled to a stop near the porch. "It might take a few of us to move the wardrobes up from the large barn."

"Okay, let me make sure the movers now where to put everything and I'll gather the troops." Amy slid out of the cab and gathered up her detailed lists, Sheldon got out of Leonard's car and headed over to join her.

"Everything okay?" He asked as he dropped a brief kiss to Amy's cheek.

"Yeah, I was just telling Amy that we still need to get the wardrobes up from the lower barn. They're heavy beasts so it will take nearly everyone to shift them up the stairs."

"I wonder whether the movers would be willing to give us a hand?" Sheldon mused as he looked at the heavyset men that were opening up the back of the moving van. "Perhaps we could offer them a crate of beer in return?"

"I'm sure they'd agree if we got Penny to ask them." Howard suggested with a smirk and Sheldon looked a little confused while Amy just nodded in agreement.

"She does have a certain appeal that they might find attractive. Hey, bestie; can we borrow you for a second?" Amy turned to call over to her best friend, who jogged over with a brilliant smile.

"What's up, sweetie? Did you forget something?"

"No, no…we were wondering whether you could use your feminine wiles to persuade the movers to help us move a couple of those wardrobes up from the lower barn." Amy asked and Penny looked over at the movers and gave everyone a grin.

"That I can do." She shrugged out of her zip up sweater and pulled the grips out of her hair, fluffing up the spiky ends with her fingers. Amy, Howard and Sheldon watched as she sauntered over to the movers, leaning against the tailgate as she smiled cheerfully at the two men, twisting a strand of hair around her fingers as she laughed at something one of the men said. Penny glanced over her shoulder and gave Amy a discrete thumbs up and a wide grin.

"Okay, she's managed to twist them around her finger so let's leave her to it while we unload the rest of these things." Sheldon clapped his hands to bring Howard into focus. "Come on, let's move it people!"

Five long hours later, everyone was slumped over various pieces of furniture as they waited for dinner to arrive. The beds were all in place, Bernadette and Penny making them up as soon as the last of the mattresses arrived. The wardrobes were in the appropriate rooms, and all it cost was a kiss on the cheek and a signed autograph from Penny; by pure chance, both men had seen Penny's 'Serial Apeist' movie and recognised her from her starring role. Raj and Emily had arrived around lunchtime and both had helped carry the oak dining table and chairs up from the barn and then gave everything a thorough clean.

Mike and Stuart had declined to join everyone else for dinner; Mike was making the most of his wife's absence and had arranged for an all-night poker game with some of his old buddies from the force. Stuart had caught a lift back to Debbie's with Mike, with the older man agreeing to join everyone for Sunday lunch to be cooked by Sheldon the next day.

"Pizza's here!" Howard saw the lights of the delivery car sweeping up the drive and ran for the door. Sheldon flung his wallet over and Howard plucked it out of the air as he headed outside.

"Shall we be grown-ups and eat at the table?" suggested Bernadette, and everyone groaned as they complained about how they were too tired to move.

"Let's be grown-up tomorrow." Penny called out from where she was sitting in one of the rockers, her legs dangling over the side. "Just grab some napkins out of the box and be done with it."

"Please be careful on the sofa and armchair, I don't want them ruined by smeared pizza sauce." Sheldon looked up from where he was sitting on the far end of one of the long sofas.

"Sheldon, they're leather so it will just wipe off." Amy leant over to pat his leg and he gave her a little shrug of apology.

"Sorry, I guess I just want everything to remain as perfect as it is right now."

"Don't worry, it will be." Amy reassured him, and he finally relaxed leaning against her shoulder with a small sigh as she ran her fingers through his short hair.

"I know that you guys said that you didn't want us to make a fuss…but, here we couldn't let the occasion go unmarked." Bernadette leant down to pluck something out of her bag. She passed two bottles over to Amy. "One bottle of champagne for those of us so inclined, and a bottle of non-alcoholic bubbly for anyone else that wants it."

"Ooh, I'll grab the glasses from the kitchen, I unpacked them earlier and gave them a rinse." Emily ran into the kitchen and returned a few minutes later with a tray filled with clean glasses.

"Non-alcoholic for me, please Bernie." Amy selected a glass from the tray and held it up to be filled.

"Me too, champagne gives me a headache." Leonard also selected the non-alcoholic option as did Sheldon; everyone else plumping for the real deal. Howard came in with the stacked boxes of pizza and Raj passed around paper plates along with handfuls of napkins.

"To Amy and Sheldon, here's wishing you both a long and happy life together." Leonard raised his glass to the happy couple and everyone followed suit. "Amy and Sheldon."

"Amy and Sheldon." Echoes of his toast rang throughout the room and Sheldon tapped his glass to the edge of Amy's and then leant over to press a soft kiss against her lips.

"Thank you for saying yes." He murmured against her lips as they continued to kiss.

"Thank you for asking me." Amy answered, reaching up to gently caress his smooth cheek, feeling him smile against her hand.

"Aw…" Raj cooed from where he and Emily were snuggled in the armchair. "That's so beautiful that I think I'm going to cry."

"And on that note, I think I'll get him home to bed." Emily rose up from the armchair and tugged Raj to his feet, to the protests of Amy and Penny.

"Oh, but don't you want to stay over with the rest of us? There are two guest rooms made up ready."

"Thanks but I've got clinic tomorrow morning and I don't want to have to rush back to town during the morning rush." Emily smiled sweetly to soften her refusal, and then looked over to Raj. "You can stay if you like, Raj; I'm going to be heading out early so we won't see much of tomorrow anyway."

"No, my sweet; let's go back to my place and make the most of the time that we have together." Raj waggled his eyebrows suggestively and Emily giggled as she tucked her hand in the crook of his elbow.

"Good night everyone, thank you again for dinner."

"No, thank you for coming over on your only day off to give us a hand." Amy walked over to kiss Emily's cheek and the two women hugged briefly before Amy kissed Raj's cheek in farewell before walking them both to the door. She waved them off, and when she came back in she paused in the doorway. "I take it the rest of you are staying tonight?" Penny had moved over to sit on the sofa next to Bernadette and the two women were giggling together as they swigged champagne directly from the bottle. Howard had taken over Penny's abandoned rocking chair and was gently rocking as he chatted to Leonard by the fire.

"If that's okay with you guys?" Howard stopped rocking to look between Sheldon and Amy. "Of course it is, the four of you have put just as much effort into this place as I have and it wouldn't feel right if you weren't here to share it with us." Amy rubbed her hand across Howard's shoulder and then reached over to clasp Leonard's hand. Sheldon smiled softly from his spot on the sofa and patted the seat next to him in invitation.

"Come on, darlin'…let's just sit and enjoy the fire for a little while before we all head up to bed, it's been a long day and we're all exhausted."

"Mmm…good idea." Amy murmured as she curled her feet up under her and nestled against Sheldon's side; their sofa perfectly situated so that they could see out of the large picture window and the fire at the same time. The three couples sat quietly for another hour, Penny and Bernadette having finished the champagne and snoozing on the sofa with the other four chatting quietly. Sheldon got up to bank the fire and set the guard in place, and then glanced around the darkened room.

"Shall we?" The six of them trooped out into the hallway, Howard and Bernadette taking the guest room on the ground floor with Penny and Leonard following Sheldon up to the first floor. "Your room is a little basic as it's only got the bed and a small cabinet at the moment; you know where the bathroom is and there's a selection of bath items under the counter for the morning." Sheldon pointed everything out and Leonard pushed him toward the second staircase.

"I know, buddy…I helped paint it, remember? You two head up to bed and don't worry about the rest of us."

"Okay, good night." Sheldon smiled faintly at Leonard as he turned to head up the stairs, pausing for Amy to catch up.

"Night, bestie!" Amy called out through the open doorway, grinning at Leonard and waving goodnight.

"Good night, Amy…sweet dreams." Penny called out from inside the bedroom, already testing the new mattress for softness. Leonard stepped inside and closed the door behind him, tipping his head to one side as he thought about something Sheldon had said a few days ago. "What are you thinking about, sweetie?" Penny said as she knelt on the mattress.

"Sheldon said that he and Amy were waiting until they moved in properly before doing more than merely sleeping together…I just wondered whether he meant tonight, cause wouldn't that be a little awkward with the rest of us in the house?"

"I think he meant more along the lines of when everything was finished in the house and they were more relaxed. Settle down, sweetie – I don't think you have to worry about overhearing their wild escapades tonight; and don't get any ideas yourself either."

"I wasn't!" Leonard protested, "That would be a little rude, this is a brand new mattress after all."

"Yeah, when we come and stay at Christmas we'll bring our own sheets." Penny ran her hand over the quilt spread over the antique bed. "I hate the idea of spoiling this, it's so beautiful."

"Yeah, this is the one that Amy was telling us about last week, it's a Wedding Ring quilt that one of her father's great-great grandmother's made during the early settlement years." Leonard slipped out of his clothes and placed them neatly on top of the cabinet, sliding under the sheet wearing his undershirt and boxer shorts. Penny did the same, choosing to sleep in her silk camisole and panties. They cuddled up under the quilt and soon drifted off into peaceful slumber.

Meanwhile, up in the master suite, Sheldon and Amy were also preparing for bed. Their practise runs over the past week had them both learning each other's routines down pat. Sheldon would brush his teeth and use the bathroom first whilst Amy got undressed, then they would change over. They continued to share one pair of pyjamas between the two of them; Sheldon had taken to wearing a long sleeved thermal shirt over the top rather than an undershirt. He was waiting under the covers when Amy flicked off the light in the bathroom and she dashed across the room to dive under the covers, shivering a little with the cold.

"I knew it would be like sharing a bed with a block of ice…" Sheldon hissed when Amy's bare feet touched his ankle under the covers, and he caught her foot between his own and started rubbing it to warm it up. "Now I know why you insist on wearing all of those layers."

"We should have lit the fire up here earlier to warm it up, it's freezing in here!" Amy tucked her hands under her armpits in an attempt to warm herself up. Sheldon clucked his tongue and pulled her arms around his waist instead, hearing Amy purr with delight as his warmth started to seep through her bones.

"Mmm…you're like a living hot water bottle, lovely."

"Come on, bring your other foot over here as well." Sheldon scissored his feet across Amy's side of the bed and wrapped his legs around both of her feet. "I was thinking that the dressing room would make a lovely little nursery for when we bring the baby home from the hospital." He remarked casually, and Amy looked up from where she was just about to lay her head on his shoulder.

"Isn't that a little small?"

"Well, the other bedrooms are all downstairs and I wouldn't want the baby to be that far away from us at first; you know they wake up for feeds during the night and I might not be able to hear them from all the way up here." Sheldon played with Amy's fingers as he spoke, rubbing his thumb along the edge of her ring.

"I'll be the one getting up in the night to feed the baby, and we'll have a baby monitor of course." Sheldon rolled to his side at Amy's words, a look of surprise on his face.

"I wouldn't expect you to get up with every feed; I want to do my fair share. You can express some milk and I can give a couple of bottles."

"All of this is a moot point at the moment anyway, we're not pregnant and besides you know what has to happen first."

"Of course I know, but I can't do that with other people in the house…Neither of us know how loud or exuberant we are likely to be and I don't think I want anyone else to know what goes on inside our bedroom." Sheldon gave Amy a frown and she giggled.

"I wasn't suggesting that we have sex right now, Sheldon! I just wanted to make sure you knew what you were likely to be letting yourself in for…" Amy ran her finger down the side of Sheldon's face and pressed a quick kiss to his surprised mouth.

"I think I know exactly what I'm letting myself in for, and I can't wait!" Sheldon hugged Amy close and dropped a warm kiss to her upturned mouth, smacking her lightly on the bottom when he pulled away. "Now, we'd better stop all of this hanky panky before we forget that we have overnight guests…"

"Just one more?" Amy asked, puckering up for another kiss. Sheldon sighed and bent his head, delivering a slow, heated kiss to her mouth and tracing the outline of her bottom lip with the tip of his tongue.

"There…now, please go to sleep!"

"Tease." Amy muttered a little disgruntled that Sheldon hadn't continued with his soft assault. She flipped over to her side, presenting Sheldon with her back and he immediately rolled over to curve himself around her. Amy grinned to herself as she felt the press of Sheldon's body against her buttocks, giving an experimental nudge backwards.

"Now who's being the tease?" Sheldon muttered against her neck, as he tried to shift out of the way.

"No, come back." Amy reached out to pull Sheldon back to rest against her. "I like feeling you that way, we don't have to do anything but it feels nice knowing that I can affect you like that."

"Just lay still then." Sheldon conceded, snuggling against Amy's now warm back and fitting his lean frame against her soft curves. "Now, go to sleep and I'll hold you like this all night."

"Promise?" Amy twisted her head around to peer backwards at Sheldon. He dropped a kiss to the tip of her nose, and nodded.

"Promise." Amy turned her head into the pillow and Sheldon rested his chin on top of her crown, breathing in the sweet scent of her shampoo. "Just sleep now." His arms crept around her waist, and Amy's hands came down to rest on his forearms, slipping under the sleeve of his shirt to slide around to wrap around his wrist. Sheldon felt his body relax as they both drifted off into peaceful slumber.

In the early hours of the morning, Sheldon woke up feeling incredibly hot and slightly uncomfortable. He glanced down to see that Amy had rolled over in the night and was sprawled across his chest with her arms and legs wrapped tightly around him. He debated whether he should wake her or simply try to move her back over to her own side and while he was thinking about it, he slipped back into sleep.

The next time he woke it was to find that they had both rolled back to their original positions, but with one notable difference – Amy's borrowed pyjama top had come lose in the night and Sheldon's hand had curved around her firm breast and he was now cradling it in his palm. "Oh My!" Sheldon murmured to himself as he felt her nipple pebble against his palm and Amy unconsciously rubbed her buttocks against his pelvis.

"Mmm…Sheldon…" Amy murmured in her sleep, and Sheldon peered around to see a softly satisfied smile creep across her face. He withdrew his hand slowly and slid out of bed, gently tucking the covers around Amy as he crept towards the shower. A few minutes later, Sheldon ran down the stairs and started rummaging through the cupboards in search of something to prepare for breakfast, deciding on French toast. He had just started to whisk the eggs in a bowl when a small pair of hands slid around his waist to hug him tightly.

"Amy, I was planning on surprising you with breakfast in bed." Sheldon dropped the whisk into the bowl and placed his hands over the pair on his waist, turning around to press a soft kiss against her forehead.

"Well, someone woke me up when they snuck out of bed and I got cold."

"Hmm, well I woke up in a…" Sheldon paused, searching for the right words, "Difficult position and I thought it best to leave."

"What kind of difficult position?" Amy asked, leaning back in Sheldon's embrace, "Come on you can tell me anything." Sheldon flushed as he bent down to whisper in her ear, and soon Amy's cheeks were beet red to match his own. "Oh my! Yes, well…I see…"

"I didn't know what to do…it was completely unconscious, I assure you."

"Calm down, sweetheart." Amy cupped Sheldon's cheek in her hand and kissed him gently. "I believe you, perhaps it was just your body letting you know unconsciously that it was okay to touch me now."

"Perhaps, but I still feel as though I were mauling you in your sleep!"

"Next time wake me up, and I'll let you know if I mind your type of 'mauling'." Amy winked and grinned, and Sheldon sighed heavily as he cuddled her closer.

"Vixen." He breathed against her hair, "Why did we decide it would be a good idea to host a Sunday dinner party today of all days? We should be snuggled up in bed celebrating our newly formed union and instead we're hiding away in our new kitchen when everyone else is still asleep."

"It's just for today, in eight or nine hours everyone will be gone and we'll be alone again." Amy stroked Sheldon's face gently and he closed his eyes at her soothing touch. "Let's forget about everyone else for a bit and go and snuggle on the couch, we can look at some fabric samples and decide what we'd like in the way of draperies."

"Can't we look at paint for the nursery instead?" Sheldon murmured with a soft melting smile on his face and Amy patted his arm.

"And there was me thinking that the thought of children would send you running for the hills."

"Strange as it may seem, I find the thought of you bearing my child very comforting. I didn't think I would ever be in a position to be able to say this, but I find myself eagerly anticipating the time that we bring our baby into this world."

"Sheldon, that's beautiful!" Penny's choked voice coming from the kitchen door had Sheldon looking behind him. Penny wiped her eyes as she walked over to take a seat at the table. "I'm so proud of you, sweetie. When I think about how far you've come in the past eight years, well, it's like you are a completely different person."

"I think we can both thank Amy for that change." Sheldon stated quietly, slipping onto a chair at the table and tugging Amy down to perch on his lap.

"I mean, just look at the two of you." Penny waved over to the pair cuddling in front of her. "I could never have envisaged you being engaged, let alone snuggling up with Amy on your lap in your first house together…Oh, what did your Mother's have to say when you told her you were moving in together?"

"I told Meemaw and let her to be the one to break the news to Mama…Meemaw loves Amy almost as much as I do so she said she was only too pleased to tell the rest of the family. We're flying out to see them all after Christmas for a short while." Sheldon frowned slightly when Penny started clucking under her breath and flapping her arms up and down. "I am not a chicken, I just couldn't stand to hear Mama's lecture about fornicating and sinnin' one more time."

"What about you, Ames? What did your Mother have to say about all of this?"

"Nothing really…she mentioned something about how she hoped that I hadn't wasted my money on a foolish dream and that she was a little disappointed that I hadn't bought something closer to her. I haven't mentioned my engagement to Sheldon as yet; like Sheldon I would rather not have to be subjected to another lecture on how I've wasted my life and that I should have taken up the offer to move to Norway."

"You were offered a job in Norway?" Penny slapped the table in shock.

"Yeah, twenty years ago and she's never stopped bringing up the fact that after I turned it down the team went on to be nominated for a Nobel Prize."

"You'll get one eventually, darlin'." Sheldon squeezed Amy's hand and she nuzzled her head under his chin.

"I know, I'm not that worried about it to be honest. I love the work that I'm doing at the moment and maybe one day I will have something even better to focus on."

"I don't want you sacrificing your career when we have children, I can easily work from home until they are old enough to start school…I meant it when I said that I didn't expect you to do all of the work." Sheldon said with another of his special smiles and Penny felt her heart melt at the sight.

"Aww…a little Shamy baby! How many are you planning on having anyway?"

"I'd like as many as Amy wishes…I don't mind what sex but must admit that I'd love a little girl that looks just like her Mother…or a little boy that has a fondness for trains. I did warn Amy that twins run in my family so we may just be blessed with two on our first try."

"How about you, Ames? Any thoughts on how many little Sheldon's you can put up with?" Penny glanced over to Amy and saw the soft expression in her friend's eye as she thought about her future children.

"I'm an only child as you know, and Sheldon is one of three…I hated not having anyone to play with, I had no cousins as both of my parents were also the sole children of their family so I'd like at least two to start off with. We'd have to negotiate for more, depending on how long it takes for us to get pregnant to begin with; I'm in my early thirties now and I'm worried about possible difficulties if we leave it too long."

"What about the wedding, any thoughts on how soon you'll be getting married?" Penny asked as she passed the time waiting for Leonard to come downstairs; she was interested in their plans but didn't think she could sit through much more of the billing and cooing taking place across the table. It was still very strange for her to see the previously uptight Sheldon being so openly affectionate with his fiancé.

"I'd just like to enjoy being engaged for a while first, it's something that I never imagined would ever happen and I'd like to wallow for a little bit before we make any definite plans."

"Good, good…no sense in rushing into these things…Ah, here's Leonard! Sweetie, are you ready to head back to town so that we can get changed?" Penny lept up from the table and grabbed hold of Leonard's arm as soon as he walked into the kitchen. Get me out of here! She muttered under her breath, Sheldon's talking about babies and keeps giving Amy his koala smile and it's freaking me out!

"Ah…sure." Leonard gave Sheldon a pained smile as he let himself get dragged away. "We'll see you about two thirty then? Is there anything we can bring? Dessert or wine maybe?"

"No thank you, Leonard, it's all in hand." Sheldon replied with a smile, Amy slipped off his lap to show the other couple to the door.

"Thanks for giving us a hand yesterday with the move." Amy kissed Penny on the cheek and briefly gave Leonard a hug. "You've been really great."

"It was a pleasure, Amy. I mean it, you just let me know if there's anything else I can do around here and I'll be over in a flash. I've still got a couple of weeks until I have to be back at the University and I know that you'd like to get the rest of the bedrooms finished before Christmas…plus there's all of the decorating to do; I saw your plans remember?"

"I haven't discussed any of that with Sheldon yet, but I think he will be okay with it all. We'll talk later this evening, okay?"

"Okay, see you later." Leonard waved goodbye and clasped Penny's hand as the two of them stepped over to his car and drove back to town. Amy closed the front door just as Howard and Bernadette emerged from the downstairs guest room.

"Morning Amy, was that Leonard and Penny just leaving? They're off early aren't they?"

"Good morning, Bernie…yes, they've gone home to shower and change but will be back later this afternoon. Can I get you any breakfast?" Amy held open the door to the kitchen as Howard shook his head regretfully.

"No thanks, we've got to be heading back soon ourselves. I promised Ma that we'd stop by and have breakfast with her as we're having Sunday dinner with you guys tonight."

"Yeah, God forbid we should be allowed to skip a Sunday every once in a while." Bernie muttered to Amy out of the side of her mouth. "Thank your lucky stars that your Mother in law will be living a few thousand miles away."

"Yes, but my Mother only lives on the other side of Glendale. Luckily we don't see each other that often, so Sheldon won't be subject to lectures over endless Sunday dinners with her."

"Bernie honey, we need to get going if we're going to collect Ma in time for the early bird special." Howard called over, tapping his watch impatiently. Bernie growled low in her throat as she sent him a sickly sweet smile.

"Howie, I will leave when I'm good and ready…Heaven forbid we should have to pay the full price of $3.99 instead of $2.50!"

"But Bernie…!" Howard saw the look in his wife's eyes and wisely decided not to say anything further. "Yes, dear…I'll be in the car. Sheldon, Amy thanks for letting us crash in your guest room and we'll see you later." He shot them both a brief smile and made a quick exit, pulling out his phone to make a suitable excuse for their late arrival to his Mother. Bernie turned to Amy once he had gone and pulled her into a warm hug.

"I'm so happy for you, sweetie and I hope the two of you will be very happy in your new home." Bernie kissed Amy's cheek and gave Sheldon a wave.

"Thank you, Bernie." Amy pulled back from the hug and crossed over to wrap her arm around Sheldon's waist.

"Don't bother seeing me out, the two of you need to just relax and find your feet. See you later!" Bernie blew them both a kiss as she skipped lightly along the hallway and they heard the front door close, followed by Bernie's screech at Howard, telling him that they didn't have to stop along the way to pick up flowers for his Mother as they had absolutely nothing to apologise for. Sheldon grinned at Amy and whirled her around the kitchen floor before pulling her back into his arms and hugging her tightly.

"Well, Doctor Cooper-to-be…however should we fill the next six hours and forty five minutes?" Sheldon waggled his eyebrows at Amy and she giggled before blushing prettily.

"We could always go back upstairs and…"

"Practise for the babies…? Okay then!" Sheldon nodded enthusiastically and swooped Amy up into his arms, carrying her bridal style down the hallway and up to the first flight of stairs.

"Actually, I thought we could measure up the window for blinds and drapes; but who am I to argue with a man on a mission?" Amy pressed a kiss to Sheldon's cheek and he stopped mid-flight, setting Amy down to her feet.

"You don't want to?" Sheldon frowned slightly, unhappy with the thought that he had pressured Amy into something that she wasn't ready for.

"Of course I want to, I just wanted to make sure that you wanted it too, and didn't feel like we had to just because we're engaged now." Amy reassured him, and to prove her point grabbed Sheldon's hand and started tugging him up the rest of the stairs. "Race you!"


	22. Chapter 22

Four hours later, Sheldon found himself propped up against the headboard with a lightly snoozing Amy draped across his chest. He let out a satisfied sigh and smoothed her tangled hair away from her forehead, leaning his head back against the wall.

"Mmm…I hope that was a happy sigh and not a 'let me out of here' sigh." Amy murmured as she rubbed her nose against the small patch of hair in the centre of his chest. Sheldon grinned down at her and ran his finger down the length of her nose, tapping it gently on the top.

"What do you think?" Sheldon dipped his head down to brush his lips against her open mouth, humming his approval under his breath. "I never knew I could feel this way about anyone…I feel as if I could do anything right now."

"Imagine what you could feel like if we had gone a little further…" Amy waggled her eyebrows at Sheldon and he let out a groan, burying his head in the crook of her neck breathing the scent of her warm skin.

"You're going to kill me."

"Yeah, but what a way to go…" Amy ran her hands down Sheldon's bare back and let them rest on the curve of his hipbones, just above the waistband of his wrinkled pyjama pants. He arched slightly under her light touch almost begging her to move her hands just a fraction lower. Their 'practise' session hadn't been much more than a heated make out session with numerous visits to second base but it was enough to make both of them realise how explosive things could get between them when they let their guards down. The bedcovers were thrown on the floor where they pooled around Sheldon's discarded undershirt, and Amy's pyjama jacket remained on her person, but secured only by a single button; causing it to gape widely every time she breathed in.

"We should really be getting up." Amy murmured, regret lacing her tone; she didn't want to leave the comfort of their bed, but everyone would be arriving within a couple of hours and she'd prepared nothing for dinner.

"I think I'm already there, love." Sheldon smirked faintly down at her as he shifted his pyjama clad lower half so that he brushed against her bare legs.

"Sheldon!" Amy slapped at his bare back, her face scarlet as his meaning became clear. "Lord, it's like you're suddenly obsessed with sex!"

"You've got me where you've always wanted me, now what are you going to do about it?" Sheldon murmured, his voice husky with arousal and Amy felt a warmth spreading through her belly just from the sound of his voice alone. She looked up into his heated blue gaze and very slowly moved her hands lower down his back so that just the tips of her fingers toyed with the elastic banding at his waist. Sheldon's pupils dilated further as he took in a much needed breath and gave her a slight nod of approval. Amy let her fingers glide past his waistband until she was lightly caressing the taut globes of his bare buttocks, feeling the muscles contract under her fingers. "Ah, yes, love…" Sheldon whispered hoarsely, loving the feel of her fingers gliding over his skin. His fingers fumbled with the fastening at his waist and the loosened fabric let Amy explore without restriction.

"Mmm, nice firm gluteus medius, anyone would think that you worked out." Amy murmured her approval as her roaming hands continued their torment. Sheldon groaned loudly as her hands suddenly cupped his behind and pressed him tightly against her belly.

Sheldon felt himself grow even harder within his loose pants, and when Amy shifted slightly beneath him he suddenly found himself pressed right up against her womanly centre. "God, Amy!" Sheldon hissed out between his teeth as Amy urged him closer still. "You're almost scorching me, I can feel it right through my pants!" He rocked up against her and Amy let out a low moan, throwing her head back against the pillow and closing her eyes.

"Sheldon…"

"So good… Just a little more…" Sheldon leant his weight onto his forearms and nudged his pelvis forward, keeping only their lower halves in contact.

"Touch me please…"

"Darlin', it would be my pleasure." Sheldon leant down to capture her mouth in a long, lush kiss; dipping his tongue in and out playfully and sipping the nectar from her lips. His hips kept rocking forward, brushing up against her lightly with every forward stroke and Amy parted her legs a little wider as her hands clasped him tighter. Sheldon's hand moved between their heated bodies and with one flick of his finger her button came undone, and her breasts were buried against his sparse chest hair; bringing mutual groans at the sensations wrought within them both. Sheldon leant down bringing their chests into closer contact, relishing the feel of her tightly furled nipples rubbing over his chest.

"More…" Amy whispered as she tugged at the waistband of his pants, and Sheldon eagerly wriggled them over his hips and kicked them aside as they tangled around his ankles; breathing a sigh of relief as Amy shrugged out of her loosened top, leaving her only clad in a brief pair of lacy panties.

"You are gorgeous…" Sheldon whispered as he ran a string of moist kisses over her face and down the side of her neck, Amy bending her head to the side to allow him greater access. "I can't believe that I'm lucky enough to have you here with me…I thought I'd lost you forever." Sheldon buried his head against Amy's breastbone and she hugged him tightly.

"You will never lose me, never." Amy ran her hand up and down Sheldon's back, and he leant back slightly so that he could stare into her eyes.

"Promise?"

"I promise." Amy reached up to cup Sheldon's cheek in her palm. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Sheldon replied as he dropped a kiss against her palm, and then keeping their eyes locked together he slowly brought their joined hands down to his waist and beyond. "I want to give myself to you completely…"

"Are you sure?" Amy asked, wanting it so much that she was sure she wouldn't be able to bear it if Sheldon were to change his mind at the last minute. Sheldon's only response was to curl her fingers around his firm length and move it up and down slowly. "We can stop at this if you need more time." Amy kept her eyes on Sheldon's blue orbs as her fingers glided over his steel like manhood.

"I want it all, and I want it to be with you; right here, right now." Sheldon jerked his hips under her hand and tightened his grip around her fingers for a moment, before pulling her hand away and trying to catch his breath. "I don't know what to do though…"

"Just kiss me again and we'll see how it goes." Amy smiled tenderly at her fiancé as he bent his head to take her lips. Rather than the tender exchange Amy was used to, this was a complete takeover, Sheldon thrusting his tongue inside as if he were trying to swallow her whole. He dominated her completely, pressing his finger to her lower jaw to open her wider to his invasion, exploring her whole mouth and leaving no area untouched. His free hand was not completely idle while he was ravishing her mouth, it had slipped down to massage the firm globe of her breast, tugging and twisting her nipple between his fingers and making Amy tear her mouth away to gasp for air. "Oh God, Sheldon…I need you…" Amy's hips were jerking beneath him and Sheldon found himself joining in with her urgent movements; their bodies rocking together in rhythm as old as time.

"Amy…I…" Sheldon's fingers fumbled with her panties, struggling to get them off without breaking contact. He cursed under his breath and finally hooked his fingers in the delicate lace and the sound of tearing filled the air as he ripped them free, flinging the tattered briefs over his shoulder without a care. Amy's legs immediately parted and he slipped between them, groaning at the feel of her heated core sliding over his hair roughened thighs. His instincts took over and he pressed a hand against one of Amy's thighs, parting them wider as he rubbed himself between her moist folds, clenching his teeth as her liquid heat surrounded him. "Ah, God! So warm…" He pushed forward a little more, feeling her tight channel grip him tightly in welcome. He stilled as he felt a slight resistance and looked down to see a pained look on Amy's face. "Shall I stop?"

"No! Just give me a second and it will pass…you're just a little large and we're both new to this. How do you feel?"

"Fantastic…If I had known how great this could feel we'd have done this a long time ago." Sheldon beamed down at Amy and she smiled back, feeling the initial pain of his intrusion fade away; Sheldon felt her walls relax around him and he nudged forward a little more until he suddenly pushed through her final barrier; causing a muffled squeak from Amy.

"Shit!" She slapped at his back and Sheldon started to pull back, only for her to wrap her legs around his waist holding him inside. "No! Just stay still…there it's passing now, please continue."

"What shall I do? Is that it?" Sheldon looked down at his fiancée, confusion etched on his face. Amy shook her head and grinned up at him as she gave an experimental squeeze of her internal muscles and Sheldon's eyes nearly rolled back in his head. "What was that?"

"Want me to do it again?"

"God, yes!" Sheldon nodded enthusiastically and Amy squeezed again, at the same time she hitched her leg higher around his waist, and Sheldon found himself sliding deeper into her until all seven inches of him was fully seated. "Aargh!" Sheldon growled in the back of his throat and suddenly it was like he was a completely different person. He pulled himself nearly all the way out before slamming back into her. His fingers slipped down to wrap themselves around the delicate skin of Amy's inner thighs as he pushed her legs wider apart as his thrusts became harder and faster. It was all Amy could do to keep up with his almost savage movements, her hands twisting in his hair as her ankles locked together around his waist.

"I love you…I love you…I love you…" Sheldon muttered against her neck as he continued pounding into her, his hands leaving her thighs to grasp her breasts, massaging the globes with one hand while the other gripped onto her waist; guiding their movements. His hand cupped around her breast, gently fondling the whole globe but ignoring the sharp stab of her nipple pushing against his palm. His mouth trailed lower, leaving a string of kisses down her neck until she felt the tiny laps across the underside of her breast. She groaned aloud as he finally made contact with her aching bud, making small circular laps of his tongue before sucking lightly. Her inner muscles suddenly clenched around him and Sheldon threw back his head as he felt a sudden rush of liquid heat surround him and he knew that Amy had found completion. The resulting ripples of her walls clutching at him, sent him overboard and he lost his rhythm as he started pumping erratically; growling and thrusting with all of his might. Sheldon's back arched and he let himself go with a final lunge; roaring out his satisfaction as his seed spurted out to be greedily soaked up inside.

Sheldon collapsed against Amy, panting with exertion as he struggled to regain control of his breathing. He carefully withdrew from her body, wincing as he saw the faint streaks of blood coating himself and Amy's thighs and Amy's hand flopped in the air as she tried to reassure him.

"Doesn't hurt." Sheldon captured Amy's hand and pressed a kiss to her palm, resting their joined hands on his chest as he flopped over to stare at the ceiling.

"Wow…"

"Yeah…" Amy turned her head at the same time Sheldon did, and they smiled goofily at each other as they shared the same pillow. "You okay?" She asked softly as she lightly caressed the back of his hand.

"I should be asking you that question." Sheldon drew her head down to rest against his chest and pressed a kiss to her hair. "But yeah, I'm fine; in fact I am more than fine."

"You sure were…" Amy grinned up at him, and Sheldon tapped her nose playfully.

"We need to take a shower and get up, the others will be here soon and I'd rather they didn't find us naked as jaybirds…as lovely as that might be."

"Why don't you go first, while I strip the bed…" Amy offered, brushing Sheldon's hair back from his brow. He wrinkled his nose up at the thought and shook his head.

"No, you shower first and I'll strip the bedding…I've heard that a woman's first time can lead to some unpleasant soreness and you may want to take a quick shower now and then soak in the tub a little later on."

"My hero." Amy sighed, brushing a soft kiss over his pursed up lips and moving back before it could lead to anything further. Sheldon crossed his hands behind his head as he laid back against the pillows, seemingly unconcerned about his nakedness. "You just going to watch me or are you going to change the bed?" Amy glanced back at him as she swung her legs over the side of the bed, and Sheldon smirked back at her.

"A hero always peeks remember? And honey, you've got something worth peeking at.." He winked back at her, and settled back to enjoy the view. Amy chuckled and shook her head ruefully.

"I can see the headlines now, 'Texan mother sues neurobiologist for brainwashing her asexual son and leading him into a life of sexual orgies and debauchery'."

"Hmm…only if it's with you, darlin'." Sheldon left his place at the head off the bed and crawled down to wrap his arms around Amy from behind, nuzzling into her shoulder and bringing his hands up to cradle her bountiful breasts. Amy arched into his touch and let out a low moan, as one of Sheldon's hands slipped lower to explore between her legs.

"Are you sore?" Sheldon asked as Amy let out a slight hiss as one of his long index fingers parted her moist folds and rubbed lightly. Amy shook her head as she clasped his wrist and pushed his finger deeper inside, directing him to the small bundle of nerves at the centre of her desire.

"Just a little sensitive…ah, there…" Amy groaned as Sheldon slid in a second finger to join the first, lifting her slightly so that she sat directly over his lap facing away from him. She could feel him swelling up against her buttocks and that with the direct stimulation to her clitoris was enough to make her start panting with desire.

"Sshh…just let me do this for you." Sheldon shifted back slightly so that he was no longer pressed up against her and ignored Amy's growl of disapproval. "I don't want to hurt you…just relax." His fingers slowly stroked back and forth and Amy started mewling as she felt him tease and pinch at her clitoris.

"It's not enough…please, Sheldon…I need you inside me again." Amy grabbed at his wrist, trying to force him deeper and he gave in to her demands as he moved her back onto his lap; lifting her slightly before lowering her onto his jutting erection. "Ooh…that's it…" Amy leant forward slightly and then wriggled back, finding just the right angle so that he brushed up against her nerves with every movement.

"Slowly, darlin'…this isn't a race." Sheldon placed his hands either side of her waist and kept their movements slow and gentle as he raised her up and down on his lap. "Just like that."

"I've got it." Amy took the reins from Sheldon and started rocking back and forth on his lap, feeling him slide gently inside her. "So good, I can feel every inch of you pulsing inside me; it makes me want to keep you like this forever."

"Not sure I'd last that long…" Sheldon's grip tightened on her hips as he felt the warning tingle in the base of his spine. "You might want to hold onto your hat little lady…"

"Why?" Amy glanced back over her shoulder, and saw the sudden tension in Sheldon's face. "Ooh…" She clenched her inner muscles around him and Sheldon bit down so hard on his lower lip that he almost drew blood.

"Fuck!" He suddenly withdrew completely and flipped Amy around so that she was facing him and spread her legs over his thighs as he brought her down firmly over his upright erection. Amy grabbed onto his shoulders as he moved them again, pressing her down onto the mattress as he started thrusting deeper inside. "Fuck…fuck…fuck!" Sheldon swore loudly as he pounded her into the mattress, sending the bedframe creaking with every firm thrust. Amy started screaming as her climax suddenly washed over her, Sheldon following immediately behind as he continued thrusting hard as her body milked him of every last drop.

"Amy? Sheldon? Are you in there?" Leonard's voice coming from outside the bedroom had Sheldon lifting his head up from Amy's neck and checking the time on the clock.

"Shit! It's nearly three o'clock!" Amy scrambled for her glasses and Sheldon gave a tired yawn as he scratched a hand over his stubbly chin.

"Everything okay in there, you two? I thought I heard a scream? Did Amy have a night terror again?" This time it was Penny's voice they heard through the door, and to Sheldon's horror he saw the handle begin to slip downwards.

"Don't come in!" Amy called at the same time as Sheldon screamed out;

"Get your fucking hand off that fucking door!" They both looked at each other and collapsed into fits of laughter, Sheldon's face was an absolute picture.

"Oh God! Mama was right! California has turned me into one of those foul mouthed sex maniacs!"

"Sheldon Cooper! Did you just say what I think you said?" Penny's furious voice could be heard clearly through the thick oak doors and Amy grabbed a robe from the end of the bed and flung it around her shoulders as she made her way over and opened the door just a crack.

"Sorry bestie, time slipped away from us a little; go on downstairs and we'll join you shortly."

"Amy, Sheldon said 'fuck'!" Penny's shocked eyes scanned Amy's scantily dressed body and her jaw dropped open. Amy leant forward and tapped it shut.

"He didn't only say it, bestie…" Amy lowered one eye in a slow wink and Leonard's face went scarlet as he took in her meaning.

"Come on, Penny…let's go downstairs and Amy can get dressed." Leonard tugged on Penny's arm and tried to drag her away from the master bedroom; just as one lean and very naked arm reached out to wrap around Amy's waist. Penny just caught a glimpse of Sheldon's bare legs beneath his bathrobe and the very goofy grin on his face before he pulled Amy back into the bedroom and firmly closed the door behind them.

"Uh…uh…" Penny gaped like a fish and Leonard patted her on the shoulder.

"Looks like our little boy is all grown up now." He murmured as he started leading her carefully down the staircase and toward the guest bedroom. "Maybe you'd better lie down for a little while, you look like you're in shock." Leonard pulled back the quilt and raised Penny's legs onto the mattress, smoothing the covers over her and stroking her hair. "You rest for a little while and I'll go downstairs and make a start on dinner, come down when you feel better." Penny just nodded without saying a word, and Leonard left her to quietly absorb everything that she had just witnessed as he jauntily made his way down into the kitchen.


	23. Chapter 23

Half an hour later, Sheldon sauntered into the kitchen whistling lightly under his breath. Leonard looked up from where he was peeling a mound of potatoes, a look of amusement on his face. Sheldon suddenly stopped whistling as he realised how petty he had been in the past whenever he'd made Leonard stop.

"Sorry…"

"No problem, buddy; it's your house, you can whistle if you want to. Heck, you could burst into a full show tune if that's how you feel."

"I feel as if I could conquer the world at this moment; like anything and everything is right within my grasp." Sheldon leant against the kitchen counter and beamed widely at his best friend.

"That's what good sex does for you; it's the rush of endorphins or the 'afterglow'. Makes you think anything is possible, doesn't it?" Leonard grinned over at Sheldon, and turned his attention back to the potatoes.

"It really does…" Sheldon's voice grew husky and then trailed off, and Leonard looked over to the doorway to see Amy walking toward them. "Hi…" Sheldon reached out his hand to Amy when she drew near and pulled her into a loose embrace.

"Hi…" She replied quietly, nuzzling into his shoulder and sighing in contentment. "Thanks for getting started with dinner, Leonard."

"No problem, Ames…what were you planning on doing with it?"

"Meemaw's pot roast with baby carrots and gravy." Sheldon said, swaying Amy lightly in his arms to a tune only the two of them could hear. Amy hummed under her breath and tucked her head under Sheldon's chin as her hands rested lightly on the waistband of his pants. Leonard smiled over at the cooing pair and poured some water over the prepared potatoes to prevent them from browning. He slid into a chair at the table and leant his chin in his palm, watching Sheldon whirl Amy out to the side and then pull her back into his arms.

"Coop, you'd better get the meat browned off and in the pan otherwise none of us will be eating tonight and you said earlier that you wanted to go out and select a tree." Amy stroked Sheldon's cheek and he captured her fingers and pretended to nibble at them.

"Hey what's with 'Coop'? You were calling me sweetheart and dear earlier…" He raised his eyebrow up at her and Amy kissed his chin.

"Just trying out a few names; sweetheart sounds too much like sweetie and that's what Penny calls you; dear reminds me of my grandma and you hate being called Shelly…" Amy shrugged as she leant back in the frame of Sheldon's embrace and wrinkled her nose. "I can't call you Don as it makes me think of the mafia, so it's either Tex or Coop."

"Mmm, either a live one with a root ball that we can replant after Christmas or one that is tall or bushy that needs trimming down." Sheldon tightened his clasp on Amy's hand and whirled her back into his arms once again; humming a catchy tune under his breath.

"What's that you're humming, Sheldon? It sounds a little familiar…" Leonard closed his eyes as he struggled to grasp the lyrics, joining in with the humming. Sheldon whisked Amy into a Texan Two Step around the kitchen as he started singing in his low husky register.

She's got me saying sugar-pie, honey, darling and dear

I ain't seen the Braves play a game all year

I'm gonna get fired if I don't get some sleep

My long lost buddies say I'm getting in too deep

Sheldon whirled Amy out on his arm and then dipped her down low, before picking up the chorus.

But I like it, I love it, I want some more of it

I try so hard, I can't rise above it

Don't know what it is 'bout that little gals lovin'

But I like it, I love it, I want some more of it

"Jeez, why do I always seem to walk in on the two of you playing hanky panky?" Penny groaned as she walked in just as Sheldon bent Amy over his arm, and Amy grinned up at her.

"You're just jealous because Leonard doesn't two step you around the kitchen."

"Hey, I could do if I wanted to! Where'd you learn to dance like that Sheldon? I thought your Mom had you learn Ballroom with Shelly and not that kind of dancing." Leonard patted his lap and Penny slid on, wrapping her arm around his shoulder.

"Meemaw…she loves to watch Country Music Television and would swoon whenever they played Tim McGraw."

"Yeah, that man fills out a pair of Wranglers just fine…" Penny whistled between her teeth and fanned her face, remembering when she and a few girlfriends went along to one of his concerts back in Nebraska.

"I bet you'd look great in a pair of tight fitting jeans." Amy murmured to Sheldon, eying up his lean physique and giggled as he dipped her over his arm again.

"Play your cards right little lady, and you may just see me in a pair one day soon." Sheldon whispered in her ear, and she giggled again. "I might just even let you wear my Stetson…"

"You have a Stetson?" Penny's ears perked up at Sheldon's low murmur and her eyes narrowed as she tried to picture Sheldon wearing a hat. "Did I ever tell you I had a bit of a thing for cowboys."

"Back off, bestie…this cowboy's taken." Amy practically growled at Penny and Sheldon grinned as he scooped her up in his arms, sitting her down on his lap as he took a seat at the table.

"Yup, this little lady's got me all set to be hogtied and branded just like one of my uncle Tad's young steers."

"You gonna wear a ring then Sheldon? Leonard hasn't decided yet…he's worried that it might get caught on something when he's doing his experiments." Penny leant against Leonard's chest and played with his left hand, stroking his ring finger a little wistfully.

"Sheldon picked out a beautiful band that matches my rings perfectly, he's already had them engraved with our initials." Sheldon smiled at Amy's response and rubbed his thumb over her engagement ring, bringing her hand up to his lips to press a kiss against her knuckle.

"Aw…I think I'm gonna cry!" Penny sniffed a little at the tender scene and scrubbed the heel of her hand against her eyes. "Enough of this sappy stuff! Sheldon, why don't you and I get the rest of dinner ready while Leonard and Amy talk about what she wants him to do tomorrow?" Penny slid off Leonard's lap and Sheldon frowned up at her.

"Tomorrow?"

"Yeah…he and Howard are still planning on spending the rest of their vacation time helping you guys with the rest of the house; unless you don't want their help anymore?" Penny narrowed her eyes at Sheldon and he shook his head quickly.

"We do! We do…There's the spare bedrooms to be decorated, the floors to be waxed now that they're finished; we haven't even thought about the gardens yet."

"Apart from the fact that we want a tree house and a nice picket fence put up along the front." Amy chipped in, earning her a soft kiss on the forehead from Sheldon.

"Aren't you guys a little old for a tree house?" Leonard remarked and Penny slapped at his arm.

"They're for the kids, silly!"

"What kids?"

"Amy and Sheldon's kids, a girl and a boy wasn't it Ames?" Penny glanced over and saw the smile that blossomed on both of their faces, Leonard glanced between the pair of them and realised that children were no longer just a possibility but a definite hope for the future.

"That's great; I think you'd make a fantastic Mom, Amy."

"What about me?" Sheldon protested loudly and Leonard winked at Amy as he flicked a dishcloth at Sheldon's arm.

"Sorry, buddy I just don't think you have the proper equipment!" Laughter filled the kitchen as Sheldon blustered a little and then flushed bright red as he got Leonard's meaning; returning the flick of the dishcloth with a soft punch to the shoulder. Howard and Bernadette walked through the back door, with Mike in tow as the two men playfully tussle over the table.

"Whoa boys; what did we walk in on?" Mike guffawed as he saw Leonard grip Sheldon in a head lock and messed up his neatly combed hair. Leonard released Sheldon and Amy reached over to smooth the strands back in place, leaving it just slightly tousled.

Sex on a stick, like a sexy praying mantis She mouthed over at him and Penny giggled as she caught the tail end of Amy's comment; Sheldon flushing as she eyed him up and down and shot him a thumbs up. He discretely moved behind Amy out of reach of the blonde's grasping hands, terrified that she would make a sudden play for him now that he was a bona fide sex god.

"Hey Mike, good to see you." Leonard stepped forward to greet Bernadette's father, holding out his hand in welcome.

"None of that, come here." Mike waved his hand away and pulled Leonard into a manly hug, nearly squeezing the breath out of him. "Now, where's that sweet little biologist that's managed to tie down my good buddy, Sheldon?"

"Right here, Mr Rostenkowski." Amy waved over from the table and Mike grinned over at the pair of lovebirds canoodling together.

"Mike, please. Sheldon! Got a beer for your old pal, Mike?" Mike winked over at Sheldon who cringed a little in remembrance of his behaviour the previous Thanksgiving. "Just yanking your chain, son." Mike patted Sheldon on the shoulder and took a seat at the table. "Nice place you've got here, sure it could do with a little work; but nothing that can't be put right."

"Funny you should bring that up…" Amy began and stretched over Sheldon's shoulder to grab her folder from the counter behind them. "We wanted to speak with you about building a tree house out in the front yard; Bernie said that you built one for your kids when they were growing up and it sounds great." Sheldon shifted Amy off his lap and onto the chair, murmuring that he was going to start dinner and Amy nodded as she started to sketch out a rough plan of the tree house in her notebook; Mike grabbing another pencil to add details that he thought might work.

"No, you don't want a rope ladder…how about a wooden ramp that goes up here…and then a platform that stretches out between those two oaks in the front." Sheldon watched the two heads bent over the sketchbook and left them to it; crossing over to the fridge to pull out the meat. Penny was scrubbing the carrots in the sink and Bernadette wandered into the living room to supervise Howard laying a fire in the grate. Leonard was fiddling with the stereo in the living room and soon the mellow sounds of Frank Sinatra's Christmas album filtered softly through the house; everyone humming along as they got on with their various jobs.

A few hours later, Mike pushed his empty plate away and rubbed his full stomach.

"Sheldon, that was fantastic; tell your Meemaw that I'd take her pot roast over any fancy dinner any day."

"I'll be sure to let her know." Sheldon smiled in thanks, rising up to collect the empty plates and stacking them into a neat pile. "I'll just rinse these off a little and they can go in the dish washer later."

"Let me give you a hand, Sheldon." Bernadette offered, and gathered up a handful of dirty glasses. "Between the two of us it won't take a few minutes and then we can all go out and walk off that fantastic meal."

"Okay, thank you." Sheldon carried the stack of dishes over to the counter and started rinsing them under the hot tap; handing them over to Bernadette who loaded them into the racks of the dishwasher. They could hear Penny and Amy chatting quietly at the table and every so often there was a coo of delight emanating from the blonde.

"What are the two of them clucking over now?" Bernadette asked, and Sheldon cocked his head slightly as he put his Vulcan hearing to good use.

"Penny likes the idea that Amy had of lining the driveway with luminaries for Christmas; we spent a few evenings last week making up the bags and they are almost ready to be put out. Now they're talking about the food hampers that we're going to start on next week; I was going to make a start on them last week but just ran out of time. Now they've gone quiet again…"

"That's because they're listening to you." Bernadette pointed out that both women had turned to look at Sheldon who pointed at Bernadette.

"She wanted to know what you were talking about, blame her!"

"Only because I thought they might be talking about something exciting!" Bernadette folded her arms across her chest and tapped her toe on the kitchen floor. "I know something happened with you and Amy this morning after we left, but no one's telling me anything!"

"Let's go out and choose a tree and I'll fill you in…" Howard came into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around his wife's tiny waist. She frowned up at him and he nodded. "Yup, Leonard filled me in on all the dirty details." Howard grinned over at Sheldon who simply sighed in exasperation, waving his hand to the door.

"Go on then, if you must you must."

"Oh, I must…this story is just too good to be kept to myself." Howard grinned wickedly and ushered Bernadette out onto the wraparound porch, flinging his arm over her shoulder to keep her warm.

"Anyone else coming out to look for a tree?" Amy glanced around the room and Leonard looked up in confusion.

"All of the tree lots will be closed at this time of the night; where are you going to pick up a tree at this hour?"

"Len, my man; let me fill you in on a little secret." Mike threw his arm around Leonard's shoulder and turned him toward the window. "Where do you think the lots get their trees from?"

"A tree farm?"

"Yeah, and what do Sheldon and Amy have in abundance at the bottom of their property?"

"Um…trees?"

"You got it, son…Amy wants a proper tree sourced from her own land. We're going to pick out one from a bit of ground that needs thinning out…I took a look around earlier and there's plenty to choose from; it doesn't look like anyone has done anything with the woods for quite a few years."

"Feel free to select one for yourself, Mike; come back any time to collect it." Amy offered as she slipped on her jacket and wrapped a scarf around her neck.

"It isn't exactly Colorado out there Amy, you won't need to bundle up like that." Penny tugged at the ends of Amy's scarf just as Sheldon handed over a pair of woollen mittens to his fiancée, pulling on a puffy jacket of his own. "Whackadoodles, the pair of them." Penny shook her head as she stepped out of the door, dressed in just a thin t-shirt and light cotton cardigan. "Hey, wait up!" She called out to Howard and Bernadette, and jogged down the steps to meet up with them.

"Penny, isn't it great about Amy and Sheldon?"

"Yeah, you wouldn't be saying that if you were the one that walked in on them…" Penny shuddered at the memory and Bernadette slapped at her arm.

"You didn't actually catch them in the act; Howie told me that you arrived just as they were about to get dressed."

"I saw enough, Amy was barely covered by her robe and let me just add that Sheldon has amazingly hairy legs for a guy with very sparse chest hair!" Penny zipped her lips as everyone else piled down the steps to join them and Mike pointed down across the back yard to where the tree line grew heavy.

"Just over there are a couple of beauties…how big a tree were you guys thinking of?"

"I want it so that it nearly touches the ceiling." Amy murmured wistfully, thinking of a bushy green tree that filled the entire corner.

"Ames, that's nearly twelve feet!" Howard did a quick calculation and shook his head. "You'll never find a tree that big out here, and if you did how would we get it through the front door? A tree that size has got to be at least five feet in diameter and your front door just isn't wide enough."

"How about that one?" Mike pointed out a bushy tree of about eight feet in height. "It's a good Fraser Fir and they smell fantastic."

"What's the needle retention like compared with a spruce?" Sheldon asked, bending down to rub the needles with his fingers, bringing them up to sniff lightly. Amy grabbed his hand and took a sniff, murmuring her approval as the heady fragrance hit her nostrils.

"Better than a white or a Norway, on par with a Blue Spruce or a Nordic Pine. You've got a couple of Blue Spruces over there but they won't be as fragrant as this fir." Mike glanced over at Sheldon who was waiting for Amy's agreement. When she nodded, Mike tied a ribbon around the trunk, marking as their favourite and then did the same to a smaller White Pine a little further into the woods. "I'll take this one, if that's okay. It's a little smaller than the rest but it's getting a little choked up in the middle like that."

"Sure, any one you like. Howard, Leonard; did you want to choose one as well?" Sheldon glanced over at his friends. Howard and Bernadette squealed happily as they raced off to choose their perfect tree, calling out to Mike for his opinion; but Leonard shook his head.

"We're happy with the one that you left in the apartment, maybe we'll get a real one next year." Trees selected the gang walked slowly back toward the house, talking quietly among themselves. They parted at the back steps, Howard and Bernadette waving goodbye and then waiting by Bernadette's car while Mike said his goodnights.

"I'll swing by in a couple of days and take down those trees for you. It might pay you to take another walk down there in the daylight and measure the trunk so that you can get a suitable stand."

"There's a fantastic looking tree stand down in one of the barns. It's shaped like Santa's boot and has a large reservoir for the water." Amy held out her hands to indicate the size and Mike nodded.

"That should do the trick, it's most likely gonna be heavy so leave it down there until I come over and I'll give you a hand getting it up to the house. We'll talk more about that tree house of yours, as well Sheldon. See you soon." Mike waved his hand and jogged down to join Bernadette, playfully snatching the keys out of her hand and slipping behind the wheel. He tooted the horn as he peeled off down the drive, spitting out gravel as he floored it; slowing down to a respectable speed when Bernadette started shrieking in his ear.

"What a hoot, I really like that guy." Sheldon chuckled as he stood next to Amy on the top step, with Leonard and Penny standing just below them.

"Yeah, he's great isn't he? Makes me wish he was my dad." Leonard glanced down at his watch and sighed with regret. "Well, I guess it's time we were making a move; Penny's got another couple of days before she breaks up for Christmas." Amy peeked over at Sheldon who caught her gaze as she jerked her head at the morose looking couple below; he gave her a slight nod and smiled faintly.

"Why don't the two of you pack up a bag and come stay with us for the holidays? You'll be over here nearly every day anyway and Penny can easily drive into town from here."

"I don't know…" Leonard shoved his hands in his pockets and frowned, Penny yanking on his arm. He suddenly glanced up and grinned, "Hah! Had you fooled there for a minute didn't I? We'd love to come and stay with you, if you're sure we won't be in the way?"

"Of course not! It wouldn't be Christmas without the two of you here with us. Besides, I've only been with Sheldon for a few years and we've never been together on Christmas Day; the three of you have known each other for far longer, if anyone is going to be in the way it would be me."

"Sweetie…you would never be in the way!"

"Darlin', don't say something like that!"

"Ames…don't be so hard on yourself!"

Amy held up her hand as she was bombarded by three irate voices at the same time. "Hey! I just meant that the three of you have more memories together than Sheldon and I… I'd love to celebrate the holidays with all three of you and maybe we can make some more memories for the future."

"That's more like it." Sheldon hugged her to his side and pressed a kiss to her forehead before looking down at Leonard. "Don't the two of you have some packing to do?"

"You mean tonight?" Penny glanced over at Leonard who shrugged as he looked at his watch.

"It's only a twenty minute drive; say an hour to pack…we could be back here by ten I guess?"

"Hop to it then! We'll have the tea ready when you get back, do you want the same room as before or do you want to try out one of the others?"

"Ooh, can we have the one that Bernadette had last time? She said it had a door leading out to the porch." Penny rubbed her hands together with glee. "Do we need to bring anything with us?"

"Just yourselves and anything that you might need over Christmas." Amy stated, wanting the other couple to feel as if they were at home and not just passing guests.

"Okay, have you got somewhere that I can store the presents that I've picked up but not wrapped yet?"

"Sure, you can put them in the little room down off the living room; it was the home gym but I think it would make a great craft room; lots of sunshine and space."

"I still think it would make a better playroom." Sheldon murmured in her ear, and Amy squirmed lightly as she giggled.

"For those hordes of kids that the two of you are planning on?" Penny waggled her eyebrows and Sheldon just shrugged his shoulders.

"Our kids, your kids…who knows what will happen down the line? Maybe Bernadette will surprise us all and pop out a couple of mini Howards…"

"Come on, Penny…let's get going otherwise we'll never make it back before midnight." Leonard tugged on Penny's arm and she followed him down the steps; glancing back to see Sheldon leading Amy back into the house.

"You don't think they're already pregnant do you? All this talk of babies suddenly, it's very unlike Sheldon."

"Naw, they've got it all planned out; Sheldon wants to get more settled in his teaching role and Amy has another six months on her project before they're going to start trying." Leonard received a light punch on the arm and glanced over at his fiancée with a frown. "What?"

"You knew all of this and you didn't tell me?"

"Amy filled me in when we were shopping for furniture…you know she had a five year plan of her own? Well, Sheldon's was eerily similar, just a few years longer; according to his original plan it was going to be another year or two before they even got engaged!"

"Yeah, so I heard from Sheldon when he picked up the ring. I'm glad they got things sorted though, they really do make the perfect couple don't they?"

"Yeah, but our babies will be smart and beautiful!" Leonard leant over to kiss Penny tenderly, only for Sheldon to lean out of the upstairs window and shout down at them.

"Get a room!" Leonard chuckled as he saw Amy pulling Sheldon back inside, and the shades being pulled down. Penny leant into his shoulder as he started the engine and pulled away down the driveway.

"It's going to be a beautiful Christmas…" Penny sighed happily and Leonard murmured in agreement.

"I can't wait to see the look on Sheldon's face when he sees what he's getting for Christmas."

"What do you mean?"

"The guys and I agreed to give him back the quilts that Amy handed over to us; she made them for him and it's only right that he have them now they are back together."

"Oh, that's so sweet! I love you Leonard Hofstadter!"

"And I love you, soon to be Mrs. Hofstadter." Leonard smiled happily as he drove them back to Pasadena, happy in the knowledge that this was going to be the best Christmas ever.


	24. Chapter 24

Sheldon stretched out his long limbs the next morning and cracked a mighty yawn. He glanced down to see just the top of Amy's head showing above the heavy quilt, smiling smugly to himself he dipped his head under the cover to see if he couldn't make it a very good morning…

"Shelly? Amy? Are you awake in there? I made breakfast!" Penny's cheerful tone from outside the heavy door had Sheldon throwing back the covers in frustration, wondering what on earth possessed him to agree to having houseguests this early in his newly discovered sexual relationship.

"Because you knew it would make us all happy." Amy murmured sleepily next to him, reaching up to smooth the hair from his forehead.

"Reading my mind now? What am I thinking of now?"

"Nothing that we can get away with now that eagle eyed Penny is outside the door." Amy tapped his nose and sat up in bed as she straightened out her pyjama jacket. "You might want to slip your shirt back on, I don't want Penny getting any ideas."

"Yeah, I know…sex on a stick." Sheldon grinned over at her as he obediently tugged the shirt over his head and Amy stuck her tongue out at him as she wandered over to open the door to her friend.

"Morning, bestie…sleep well?"

"Like a baby, it's almost like being back on my parent's farm out here. I haven't slept that well since I left Omaha." Penny was already ready for work, dressed in a pinstriped skirt and ruffled blouse. She handed over a tray of tea and toasted bagels. "Here, I was making something for myself and thought I'd bring this up to you. Leonard's gone to pick up Howard as his car's in the shop and I'm leaving in a few minutes so you've got the house to yourself for an hour or two before Leonard gets back."

"Thank you, Penny." Amy accepted the tray with a grateful smile. "This looks great."

"Never mind that now, darlin'…Didn't you hear the woman? She said we have the house to ourselves!" Sheldon hissed from within the bedroom and his undershirt came flying through the air to land at Penny's feet. She bent down to pick it up, handing it over to Amy with a wink and a smile.

"You'd better get in there, sweetie, someone sounds like he'd rather have something else for breakfast…"

"Sex, sex, sex…honestly woman, is that all you can think of?" Sheldon's disapproving tone had Penny glancing over Amy's shoulder as he came into view, fully dressed and ready for the day.

"Sorry Ames, I guess I was wrong about Sheldon after all."

"Oh I wouldn't say that, bestie…" Amy winked over at Penny as Sheldon wrapped his arm around his fiancee's waist from behind and whispered something in her ear. As soon as he stepped around the two women to walk down the stairs Amy leant forward to murmur something to her best friend. "Let's just say that Sheldon said goodnight in a very good way and it might have been repeated if you hadn't have brought breakfast up when you did." Amy spaced her fingers out in an approximation of Sheldon's size and Penny gulped hard, nearly swallowing her tongue.

"No kidding?"

"Absolutely gospel truth." Amy fanned her face a little in remembrance of the previous night's activities and stepped back inside the bedroom to get dressed, leaving Penny shaking her head as she walked away.

"And to think that I turned down a date with that guy…" Penny jabbed her finger in her temple and mimed pulling a trigger. "That's enough of that crazy talk…get your butt in gear and go to work, Penny."

Penny heard the rattling of pots and pans in the kitchen and wandered back through to see what Sheldon was up to.

"I can't believe you would turn down an extra hour in bed with your fiancée to start cooking at this hour of the day." She said, disappointment lacing her tone as she slid her phone into her purse and picked up her car keys from the counter.

"Ah, but this just isn't any old baking…Amy and I are making some special treats for Christmas presents. There's gonna be Meemaw's cookies, my Mom's chocolate fudge, and cranberry loaves…everything that we both loved as kids." Sheldon's face lit up with a beaming smile and Penny had to smile back in response, shaking her head slightly as she waved him goodbye.

"I still say that you should have gone for the other option…" Penny poked her head back around the screen door and winked before skipping lightly down the steps to head into Pasadena.

"What was that all about?" Amy asked as she came through the swinging door and immediately slipped on her Christmassy apron.

"Oh, just Penny saying that we are both idiots for wanting to spend our time baking rather than indulging in carnal pursuits." Sheldon stepped aside so that Amy could join him at the table and she nudged him playfully with her hip.

"We've got years ahead to indulge ourselves with that sort of thing, but we only get one first Christmas together."

"Yeah, and it's going to be absolutely perfect." Sheldon dropped a tender kiss on Amy's lips and then tapped her lightly on the rear. "Come on then, let's get this baking started!"

"Slave driver…" Amy stole another kiss and then wandered over to the small radio tucked away on a shelf at the far end of the kitchen. "How about some music to get us in the mood?" She fiddled with the settings until the mellow sounds of a country music station filled the air; she was just about to change the station when Sheldon surprised her by asking her to leave it on.

"Mmm, leave it there…"

"I didn't think you liked anything apart from classical or something from your sci-fi movies?"

"I don't usually, but after listening to a few Christmas albums with you over the last few weeks; I'm beginning to see the appeal." Sheldon turned back to the recipe binder and started assembling the ingredients for Meemaw's cookies, creaming the butter and sugar together before stirring in the beaten egg. Amy added a spoonful of flour to the bowl to prevent the mixture from splitting and then added a generous dash of vanilla bean paste.

"What's with the little black flecks? We've ruined it and we're gonna have to start all over again!" Sheldon started to panic when he saw the black flecks streaking through his golden mixture and Amy rubbed his arm consolingly.

"Calm down, Tex…those are the seeds from the vanilla bean paste; it's supposed to look like that. Let me add a little more flour and soon they won't appear as dark." Amy added another cup of flour and Sheldon started stirring it in. "See?"

"Okay, you had me worried there for a minute, little lady." Sheldon nudged Amy's hip and grinned over at her. He continued stirring the mixture as Amy added more and more flour and then he had to get his hands in the bowl to start bringing it together into a firm ball. Sheldon was humming along to the radio under his breath and sighed a little in disappointment as the song ended.

"What's up?"

"Nothing…I just kinda liked that song." Sheldon grimaced as a jaunty version of 'Up on the Rooftop' started and Amy had an idea.

"I've got a couple of CDs that are very similar to the song that was just playing, why don't I slip one of those on instead?"

"Would you? This racket doesn't quite promote the warm Christmassy feeling that I had in mind."

"Sure, give me a second and I'll dig them out. That dough needs to chill for a few minutes before we can roll it, so why don't you have a search through the box of cookie cutters and decide what shapes you'd like." Amy rinsed her hands under the tap and slipped her apron off, leaving it on the back of one of the chairs. Sheldon smiled back at her, almost twitching in excitement.

"Really? You mean I get to choose whatever I want? Oh, boy this is gonna be great!"

"You might find a couple of surprises tucked away in there, just for you." Amy winked over at her fiancé as she left him staring at the mysterious box of cookie cutters with his hand stretched out, the feeling of anticipation pooling in his stomach.

"Earth to Sheldon…Come in Sheldon." Sheldon snapped out of his daze as Howard waved a hand in front of his face. "Jeez, I thought you were in a coma or something, what on earth is the matter with you?"

"Amy said I could choose whatever cookie cutter I wanted from the box, and that she had a surprise in there for me." Sheldon was hugging the open box to his chest and Leonard could see that there was a sheen of tears over his brilliantly blue eyes.

"And what was the surprise?"

"Something amazing, and you will only wish you had a girl as fantastic as mine." Sheldon reluctantly set the box down and bade his friends to take a seat. "Gentlemen, please take a seat and close your eyes…" He slowly dipped his hand in and laid out the cookie cutters one by one along the centre of the table. "Now, open them…"

"Oh my God!" Howard stretched out a trembling finger to one of the cutters and withdrew it when Sheldon snarled at him. "Is that…?"

"Sheldon, these are brilliant…." Leonard was very careful not to touch the precious objects laid out before them; and once again, Sheldon was right in the fact that both of them were incredibly jealous.

"I know…look there's Flash, Captain America, Spiderman, The Hulk, Batman and Spiderman's logo..." Sheldon's haughty expression dissolved as he enthusiastically started pointing out all of the cutters. "Over here are all of the Star Wars figures, Yoda, Darth Vader and the Stormtroopers."

"You are one lucky bastard, Sheldon Cooper." Howard gave the cutters one long envious look and closed his eyes, sending a wish up to Santa that he'd be so lucky come Christmas Day.

"Oh, you're here already!" Amy came back into the kitchen carrying a portable CD player and a stack of CDs. "How did everything go with the car, Howard?"

"Couple of hundred dollars on a few things that need changing after the service." Howard shrugged philosophically and started to rise up from the table. "So, what did you have in mind for us today, boss?"

"I thought we could all use a day off from manual labour and do something else instead. I know that you both booked the time off to help me out around the place but I think we could all do with a couple of days to relax. If you don't want to hang out with Sheldon and I, then it's fine with me if you just got on with whatever you need to do back in town. We're going to do some Christmas baking and then have a rummage around for some decorations."

"I'd love to just hang out with you guys, count me in." Leonard sat back down at the table and Amy grinned at him, pulling a spare apron out of the drawer and passing it across.

"What about you, Howard? Feel like helping Sheldon bake some cookies?"

"Don't mention cookies, Howard's having cookie cutter envy." Leonard smirked over at his friend, whose eyes kept lingering on the box of cutters and whimpering slightly.

"What, these cutters?" Amy grinned as she held out another two packets of cutters, one in superhero shapes and the other a smaller Star Wars set.

"Amy…if I weren't married and you weren't an engaged woman, I'd probably leap over the table and kiss you right now. In fact…" Howard grabbed Sheldon's shirt and pulled him over the table, planting a sloppy, wet kiss to his cheek. "Pass that onto your fiancée for me."

"Urgh!" Sheldon pulled a tissue out of his pocket and wiped the offending slobber off his cheek before spritzing his hands with the travel bottle of Purell he kept in his pocket.

"I know it isn't the same set as I got for Sheldon, but I think I managed to pick up one or two of your favourites…Chewbacca is there along with Wonder Woman and Batman in the other set."

"Sheldon…Amy even knows their names…" Howard was nearly speechless as he accepted the sealed packet from Amy and ran his fingers over the large stylised 'W'.

"Of course she knows their names, just as I know that Laura, Mary and Carrie were the names of the Ingalls children in her favourite TV show. They later went on to have a fourth daughter named Grace and adopted Albert, James and Cassandra much later in the show." Sheldon ticked off the names of the characters one by one and earned himself a kiss on the cheek from his laughing fiancée.

"And he got all that when he sat through seven seasons trying to ruin it for me." Amy hugged Sheldon's neck and then got up to hand the other set of cookie cutters over to Leonard. "Those are pretty much the same as Howard's, I thought you could mix and match."

"Thanks, Amy…these are great." Leonard ran his hand over the packet and Amy grinned.

"Don't just sit there and fondle them, we've got cookies to bake!"

"But Amy, if we make these with our lovely new cutters they won't really be Christmas cookies and…" Sheldon was torn between making Amy happy and doing what he really wanted, which was to be the envy of all of the geeks in the world with his fabulous new cookies.

"Honey…we can always make another batch of dough and use traditional cutters for those."

"See guys, not only does she have the ultimate good taste in merchandising but she is also willing to compromise…" Sheldon hugged Amy tightly and shot his hand in the air to slap palms with Leonard. "Let the cookie war commence!"

Amy shook her head as she watched the three grown men revert to childhood as they nudged each other out of the way to see who could wash their hands first. All clean, they lined up at the table and packages were torn open and set up in a neat row.

"I'll get the dough out of the fridge and start rolling it out." Sheldon said, and pulled three large baking sheets toward them. "Leonard, you can line the trays with greaseproof paper while Howard washes the cookie cutters before we use them."

"I'm going to mix up the dough for the cranberry loaves, they can be frozen once they've baked and they taste delicious." Amy selected a CD and pressed play. "A little music to inspire us…"

Christmas to Christmas

Wrapped in your arms

Love's always in season

And always so warm

Til my days on Earth are through

I will spend Christmas to Christmas

Loving you

Amy hummed along with the track, swaying gently to the music as she mixed up the batter and every so often she would look up to see Sheldon's soft smile as he watched her. The cookies were all cut out and carefully placed on the tray and Sheldon slid them into the lower oven, sniffing at the delicious scent rising from Amy's four loaves.

"Oh Lordy, that smells delicious!"

"Wait until you taste them." Amy called out from where she was wiping the table clean of spilled cookie dough and flour. Sheldon walked over and plucked the sponge out of her hand, tossing it into the sink as he pressed a soft, lingering kiss to her warm mouth.

"Thank you for my cookie cutters."

"You're very welcome." Amy murmured back, sifting his hair through her fingers.

"What is it with you and my hair?" Sheldon leant back a little, so that she couldn't play with his hair anymore.

"Nothing, I just like the fact that I can touch you whenever I want now. You don't know how many times I wished I could just brush your hair back from your forehead, or rub away that little crease that appears just here whenever you frown." Amy smiled as she ran a finger along the slight crease between his eyes, giggling when Sheldon deliberately frowned.

"You're a strange woman, Amy Farrah Fowler…that ring on your finger grants you permission to touch me wherever you please, and you like stroking my hair? You're crazy, lady.

"Yeah, crazy about you…" Amy winked at Sheldon as she walked over to the oven, bending down to slide the cookie sheet out. Sheldon patted her on her curvy rear as he joined her, using a metal spatula to scoop the cookies onto the waiting cooling rack. When Amy turned her head to frown at Sheldon, he simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Two can play at that game, you like my hair and I like your buttocks…fair's fair." Amy chuckled softly and turned back to the oven; pressing her finger lightly to the top of her cranberry loaves and then turning the temperature a little lower for the last few minutes of their cooking time. "These aren't quite done yet, I don't want the tops to burn so I've turned it down a few degrees; could you get them out in about five minutes please, Howard? I want to grab a few things from the barn that I saw the other day." Howard looked up from where he was drying the cookie cutters and nodded.

"Sure, do you have another cooling rack that you want them put on?"

"It's in the cupboard next to the stove; leave them in the tins to cool slightly first before you turn them out."

"Do you need a hand in the barn? Anything I can help with?" Leonard drained the water out of the sink and dried his hands on a paper towel.

"I could use a hand measuring those dresser units that we found on our first visit. I'd like to have them running down the side of the living room but I don't know if all three would fit side by side. I also saw a box of wire rings that I could use for making wreaths for the doors; I thought that I could go for a wander around the property this afternoon and gather up some evergreen and pinecones to decorate them with." Amy pulled a measuring tape and notepad out of the kitchen drawer and placed a pencil behind her ear.

"I'll give you a hand with that if you like." Leonard offered, shrugging into his jacket. Sheldon walked down with them carrying the inventory that Penny and Bernadette had made out of everything that was in the large barn. He wanted to double check everything had been accounted for so that he and Amy could start deciding what would eventually end up in the house and what they were going to get rid of.

"Would those units be listed as dressers or wooden units? According to Penny's lists both are included…" Sheldon frowned as they entered the barn, Leonard fastening back both wide doors so that it was as light as possible inside.

"Maybe you should think about sticking a little label on the things that you want in the house so that you can assign a catalogue index to it? It might make things easier for when we start moving everything." Leonard placed his hands on his hips as the two men surveyed the crowded area. "It's a bit of a mess in here, when Penny asked the movers to take up the two Narnia wardrobes it looks like they just shoved everything else to the sides…"

"Hmm…I had hoped to be able to place everything we liked the look of into one area." Sheldon tapped his pencil against his lips and looked around thoughtfully. "Amy?" He called out, "Is there anything in particular that you didn't like?"

"I don't like the horsehair sofas and matching chairs, and there is a really hideous carved mirror over near the doors…I haven't had a chance to look at anything else. Why's that?"

"I was thinking that Leonard and I could move the things that we don't like into one of the empty barns; that would give us a bit more room to take a closer look at the more interesting stuff." Sheldon ripped off a couple of sheets from his notepad and scribbled 'lose' on some and 'keep' on others. He handed them over to Amy; "If you see anything else that catches your eye, stick one of these to it; I'll do the same and we can compare notes later."

"Okay, you two start by moving out the sofas and chair that I mentioned just now and I'll see if I can get to the dressers. Be careful, Sheldon please." Amy tucked the papers into her pocket and picked her way through the precarious stacks of furniture. Sheldon waved Leonard over to join him and together they started moving furniture into the small barn near the house.

Howard wandered down to join them once the loaves were out of the oven, he grabbed one side of the carved mirror Leonard was carrying over to the other barn and groaned under the weight.

"Jeez, this thing weighs a ton! It's as ugly as sin to boot, just the type of thing my aunt Reva would adore…it's got that gothic look with those carvings around the frame."

"If you want it, please feel free to take it…this lot is in our discard pile. Same goes for you, Leonard if you see anything that takes your fancy just grab it." Sheldon walked past them with a horribly chewed up magazine rack, setting it down near the moth eaten sofa.

"I'll take a picture and send it over to Ma…she knows aunt Reva's taste better than anyone." Howard snapped a picture with his phone and pinged it off to Mrs. Wolowitz. "What's next?"

Sheldon looked at his notepad and made a few notations with his pencil. "We've moved the sofas, armchair, mirror, magazine rack…Amy is still looking for those dressers, so maybe we should give her a hand with that? She was going to stick a label on anything that caught her eye as she walked around so there might be some more to move when we get back."

The three men walked back over to the large barn and saw Amy picking her way through the back wall. Sheldon saw that she had left rather a large amount of 'keep' notes on the furniture nearest the doors; two round pie crust tables, an old fashioned pie safe, a roll top correspondence desk and a small bishop's bench. He nodded to himself as he marked the items down in his notebook, all were things that he would have probably marked for keeping himself. There were a few things that Amy had placed a 'lose' note on as well; two dressmaker's dummies, a wonky looking telephone table and several dark heavy picture frames that had no canvases attached.

"Howard and I will start carting these over to the small barn; Penny might be interested in one of those dummies…she likes that sort of thing and they're in pretty good shape. Howard, doesn't your Mom still like to play about with sewing?" Leonard picked up one of the dummies and looked over at Howard, who was already snapping another photo.

"Already on it…although I would have thought that Sheldon might have wanted to keep one back for when he's making his costumes up.

"I already have an adjustable mannequin Howard, how else do you think I've managed all these years? It's in the solarium at the back of the house with Amy's craft things." Sheldon threw the remark over his shoulder as he wandered off to give Amy a hand with measuring the dresser unit that she had unearthed along the furthest wall.

An hour later they all trooped back up to the house with dirty faces and grubby hands from moving furniture about. Howard's mother was over the moon about having her own dressmakers dummy and she had also contacted her sister to confirm that she would love to take the mirror off their hands as well. Amy washed her hands at the sink and filled the kettle for tea.

"It's a little early for lunch just yet, would anyone care to join me in breaking in one of the cranberry loaves with a cup of tea?"

Everyone thought that was a fine idea, and Sheldon set the box of craft wire he had carried up from the barn down on the table and went over to scrub his hands. "Amy, don't you need some sort of florist wire for the wreaths?"

"There's some in one of my craft boxes, I've got a box set aside just for Christmas. I'll grab it once we've had our tea. How many wire forms are in the box, Sheldon?"

"There's four wire ones, a couple of rounded straw and some very mouldy looking foam bases."

"Get rid of the foam ones and we'll use the others. There's plenty of greenery around the place if Howard and Leonard want to try their hand at making a wreath too." Amy smiled over at the guys who looked a little nervous at trying something both felt were more suited to the females of the group. "Don't look like that Howard, I remember how you excited you got when we had jewellery making night at Penny's that time."

"I'll give it a go, but it probably won't be any good." Leonard said, "I'm more used to performing my experiments with a laser torch and metal plates…"

"You'll be fine, there is no right way to make a wreath; you just have to use a little imagination." Amy patted his shoulder in passing as she walked around the table to fetch the cooled cranberry loaf.

"I'm gonna put some of those little drummer boy ornaments on mine…and maybe some candy canes too." Sheldon started sketching out a design on a blank page torn from his notebook and Amy grinned over at him.

"I thought those ornaments were going on our tree?"

"Can't I just have a couple to use on my wreath?" Sheldon turned the full watt of his baby blues on his fiancée and she leant down to kiss his forehead.

"Of course you can, Tex. You can use anything you want on your wreath…you could even put some of your little Lego Star Wars figures on it if you wanted to." Howard squealed with joy as he leant over to grab the notepad from Sheldon and started designing his own wreath, only to stop when Leonard cleared his throat.

"I don't think Bernadette would like her front door decorated with an epic battle on a Christmas wreath…you know how seriously she takes the holiday."

"Oh…yeah, I guess." Howard sighed a little as he pushed the pad away and Amy tapped her fingers on the edge of the box.

"There's nothing stopping you from making two wreaths, Howard. Maybe you could make a traditional wreath for Bernadette and a more modern one for yourself…hang it near your desk at home or something."

"I'd have to clear it with Bernie first, and I don't have any of the stuff I'd need to build it."

"There's always tomorrow." Amy made the round of tea and set a plate of the sliced loaf in the centre of the table. "Christmas doesn't make itself in a day, there's still another two weeks to go."

"Yeah…" Howard reached for a slice of the cake, a little more enthusiasm in his voice. "That gives me plenty of time to bring Bernie around to my way of thinking. Thanks, Amy!"

"Anytime, Howard." They chinked mugs in a salute and shared a grin. "Okay, boys…drink up and then let's go scavenging!"


End file.
